ALERT - KDHE Public Hearing!
Currently in Kansas, KDHE recommends that ferrets that bite humans be killed
and tested for rabies. This means if your housebound vaccinated ferret
bites someone, a playful pet store kit nips someone, or any ferret nips
someone regardless of circumstances, KDHE will recommend he/she be killed
and tested even though they've never been exposed to a rabies vector and all
available scientific data shows the contrary. In the European and US
shedding studies, ferrets didn't secrete the virus in their saliva. If they
don't secrete the virus then they can't pass it. Why is it that certain
health officials choose to ignore the hard data and continue with this
inhumane barbaric practice? They'll give us a song and dance about shedding
studies not being completed and they have the best interest of the public in
mind but lets look at a few of the hard facts here.
1.There has NEVER been a ferret to human transmission of rabies
2.Less than 20 case of rabies in ferrets in the entire time of
recordkeeping
3.Completed shedding studies show ferrets don't shed the virus in their
saliva
4.Imrab 3 rigorously tested and USDA licensed/approved rabies vaccine
5.Ferrets do not impose a rabies risk
6.Ferrets are housebound supervised companion pets, not exposed to rabies
7.Ferrets are domestic, the rabies issue does not change their taxonomy
Now is our opportunity to inform and educate KDHE. The Kansas Dept of
Health & Environment will hold a public hearing to consider changes to
existing rabies control regulations on May 28, 1996 at 10:00 a.m. in the
basement conference room of the Mills Bldg, 109 SW 9th, Topeka, KS 66612.
We need as many people as possible to attend this meeting. Whether you plan
on attending the meeting or not, please write to Dr. Calder expressing your
support of inserting ferrets into this regulation and send a copies of the
letter to Senator Lana Oleen and Governor Graves. Your letters WILL make an
impact on KDHE. Please send polite informative letters. Ask your
veterinarians to write. Below is the current rabies control regulation. We
need to work towards having domestic ferrets inserted into this regulation.
28-1-13. Rabies control; isolation of biting animals for observation and
examination; quarantine of bitten animals. (a) In conjunction with
investigation of the biting of a human or an animal by another animal, the
isolation of the biting animal shall be as follows: (1) An owned domestic
animal shall be isolated for an appropriate period (10 days for dogs and
cats)under conditions satisfactory to the local health officer.
28-1-13 (4) Wild animals, including rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, mice, rats,
squirrels, and other species not ordinarily known to be involved in the
transmission of rabies, need not be sacrificed and submitted for laboratory
examination for evidence of rabies infection, unless the circumstances of
the biting incident, in the judgement of the local health officer, indicate
otherwise.
I hope to "lead" them into section (4) as there has never been a transmission
of rabies from a ferret to humans or any other animal, less than 20 case in
entire time of record keeping and no rabbit shedding studies. I know
ferrets are domestic but they won't budge on section (1). Section (4) would
actually offer them more protection. I need your help. It is imperative
that we attend this meeting and/or write to Dr. Calder. If you can attend,
you don't have to speak unless you want to, but we do need you there to show
KDHE we are concerned over their unjust practice of automatically killing
ferrets just because they are ferrets, regardless of circumstances.
Dr. Jennifer Calder
Epidemiology Office
Mills Bldg, 109 SW 9th, Suite 602
Topeka, KS 66612
Governor Graves
State Capitol, 2nd Floor
300 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka KS 66612
Senator Lana Oleen
State Capitol, Room 136-N
300 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka KS 66612
[Posted in FML issue 1576]
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