Chris, I am forwarding this to you with permission. I thought it should be shared with the List. In article <[log in to unmask]> Jeff Parke ([log in to unmask]) writes: >Ok, nobody "bit" on my rabid ferret question, so here's the rather longish >answer. > >I wrote: >>Here's a good question from a public health exam I had today. A 10 month >>old ferret vaccinated with with Pittman-Moore's IMRAB vaccine at age >>3 mo. bites a neighbor's child. You are the veterinarian who did the >>vaccination. The neighbor now is convinced her child will contract >>rabies. > >>What do you do? > >Although one would hope that the ferret rabies vaccine would simplify the >questions that arise around issues of rabid ferrets, it doesn't. The Compendium >of Animal Rabies Control, 1992, is used by many states as law regarding rabies. >Here's what it says concerning this case: > > "The period of rabies virus shedding in infected wild or exotic animals >(including ferrets) is unknown; therefore, confinement and observations of those >animals that bite human beings are not appropriate" [the "(including ferrets)" >is part of the Compendium, not my parentheses] > >The confinement/observation period is the ten day period in which it is >established dogs or cats will exhibit clinical rabies if they in fact are rabid >and infective at the time of a bite. Apparently the writers of the compendium >feel there is insufficient evidence to establish a similar period for ferrets. > >There is hope, however. In another section of the Compendium, under "Management >of animals that bite human beings", it says: "Management of animals other than >dogs and cats depends on the species, the circumstances of the bite, and the >epidemiology of rabies in the area." > >Basically here is a clause that leaves it to professional judgement. In real >life, it would also involve the politics and persuasion of individuals. Those >individuals would include public health officials, and at least one veterinarian >and physician. Also included might be some lawyers. If push came to shove, one >might be forced to sacrifice the ferret for rabies analysis, if one lived in an >endemic area and there were sufficient suspicion of whether the ferret could >have possibly been exposed. > >My sense is that ferret owners often allow their animals to roam free indoors, >but that it is rare for someone to let their ferret outside alone. This alone >could be strong argument in a legal case of possible ferret rabies - how could >the ferret have contracted rabies? Also, the vaccination, you say. >Unfortunately the ferret vaccine is not quite as good as that used for dogs and >cats. It is alledgedly only about 80% effective in preventing rabies infection. >But nonetheless, it is an added argument in favor of the ferret in a case like >this. > >-Jeff >------- >[log in to unmask] ...uunet!wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu!jeffp >[log in to unmask] CIS: 71511,1512 AOL: JeffParke >a.k.a. Jeff Parke, Washington State University College of Vet. Medicine [Posted in FML issue 0248]