In a message dated 96-08-01 06:53:43 EDT, Bill Williamson writes: > This lady has got to be nuts, what triggered this ?????? I am not sure, but it appears she was somewhat upset about the HSUS backing mandatory observation periods in cases where the ferret has been vaccinated and there was little risk of exposure. In a letter to me dated July 10 (full text on the Web at http://members.gnn.com/AcmeFerret/lifepage/jenkins.htm) she wrote, inter alia: "Because we know that ferrets can acquire rabies, but their viral shedding period prior to onset of signs has not been defined, many public health officials do not feel comfortable prescribing a period of confinement and observation that may leave bite victims at risk for acquiring the disease. The closer to the time of exposure that rabies postexposure treatment is initiated, the better the chances of protecting the bitten person. For these reasons, the rationale for a policy that allows for a period of confinement and observation of ferrets that have bitten is unclear to me. I have spoken to one of the authors of the "Statement on Ferrets as Companion Animals" from the Humane Society of the United States and expressed my concern that their change in recommendations may have been premature given that studies on ferret viral shedding are pending." She further stated that, "Although an animal that has been vaccinated against rabies and lacks a history of exposure to rabid animals is unlikely to be infected with rabies, such a scenario does not totally eliiminate the possibility of the disease in the animal. Therefore, well vaccinated dogs and cats that bite a person are confined and observed for ten days to provide assurance that the animal was not shedding rabies virus when it bit and to allow for timely administration of the postexposure treatment to the bitten person. Unfortunately, we do not know how long to confine and observe a ferret to give the same assurance." She also argued that even a complete history of being kept indoors was no guarantee that a ferret has not somehow been exposed to rabies: "In some cases a bat had been seen in the bedroom, but no wound was apparent. Animals are not able to tell us whether they were in the same room with, or had contact with, a bat. Another example has to do with one of the rabid ferrets from Washington, DC. The ferret lived in an apartment and was reportedly never outdoors. Even after the diagnosis of rabies had been made, the owner insisted hte animal had never been outdoors. Finally, a history of having been taken to another ferret to be bred was elicited. The ferret to which it was bred was an indoor/outdoor animal and had disappeared shortly after the breeding so was not available for observation or rabies testing." In a subsequent telephone conversation late last week, Dr. Jenkins advised me that there had not been a case of rabies in a human in Virginia since 1953, "and I don't want it to happen on my watch." Since then I have been given to understand that something over 2 dozen state veterinarians have contacted the HSUS to "object to" their rabies policy. I have a hard time believing this is coincidence, when Jenkins is the chairperson of the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians "Committee." Also, I have heard rumors that she is making an effort to roll back the New Hampshire observation period law, and making her negative influence felt in other states too. This "NASPHV Committee" somehow has been given (by God? who knows?) the authority to write the annual "Compendium of Animal Rabies Control." Two individuals from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sit as "consultants" on this "Committee," but I do not know whether they have a vote. It is a lot of authority to be vested in a two-bit organization (NASPHV) that does not even have a post office box to its name! For those who may want to write to the CDC consultants to express their unhappiness with the direction Jenkins is leading, I have some names and addresses: Charles E. Rupprecht, VMD, PhD Building 15 Clifton Campus, CDC 1600 Clifton Rd. G-13 Atlanta GA 30333 James E. Childs, ScD - same address. The other members of the committee are: Keith A. Clark, DVM, PhD John G. Debbie, MS, DVM Russell J. Martin, DVM, MPH Grayson B. Miller Jr. MD F.T. Satalowich, DVM, MSPH and Faye E. Sorhage, VMD, MPH. However, no separate addresses were given for these persons in the Compendium, which requests that all correspondence be addressed to: - yes - Suzanne R. Jenkins, VMD, MPH Virginia Department of Health Office of Epidemiology P.O. Box 2448 Richmond, VA 23218. For those interested in writing to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the president is Mary Beth Leininger DVM 1931 N Meacham Rd. Schaumberg IL 60173-4360 and the executive v-p is Bruce W. Little DVM. For the HSUS, correspondence may be addressed to Martha Armstrong, Vice President for Companion Animals Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street NW Washington DC 20037 A final word: In Jenkins's cover letter to the 1996 Compendium, she discussed the current status of the shedding studies, and said: "The Compendium committee, in consultation with the researchers, had previously agreed to a protocol that would include six strains of rabies virus administered at various dilutions. Unfortunately, limited resources have dictated that the project start with just one virus strain... of 54 animals that were innoculated with virus, 37 developed rabies, but none had detectable virus in the salive. One ferret had positive salivary glands... In order to adequately protect the public, the current studies need to be completed before any changes in ferret rabies control recommendations can be considered. Because the majority of rabid ferrets have been reported from the raccoon rabies rea, the Compendium committee recommended that the raccoon strain of rabies virus be used in the next stage of the study." [Posted in FML issue 1650]