Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 1998

Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 1998*
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc.

The purpose of this Compendium is to provide rabies information to
veterinarians, public health officials, and others concerned with rabies
control. These recommendations serve as the basis for animal rabies
control programs throughout the United States and facilitate
standardization of procedures among jurisdictions, thereby contributing to
an effective national rabies control program. This document is reviewed
annually and revised as necessary. Immunization procedure recommendations
are contained in Part I: all animal rabies vaccines licensed by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and marketed in the United States
are listed in Part II: Part III details the principles of rabies control.


Part I: Recommendations for Parenteral Immunization Procedures

A. VACCINE ADMINISTRATION: All animal rabies vaccines should be restricted
to use by, or under the direct supervision of, a veterinarian.

B. VACCINE SELECTION: In comprehensive rabies control programs, only
vaccines with a 3-year duration of immunity should he used. This
constitutes the most effective method of increasing the proportion of
immunized does and cats in any population. (See Part II.)

C. ROUTE OF INOCULATION: All vaccines must be administered in accordance
with the specifications of the product label or package insert. If
administered intramuscularly, it must he at one site in the thigh.

D. WILDLIFE AND HYBRID VACCINATION: The efficacy of parenteral rabies
vaccination of wildlife and hybrids (the offspring of wild animals
crossbred to domestic dogs and cats) has not been established, and no such
vaccine is licensed for these animals. Zoos or research institutions may
establish vaccination programs which attempt to protect valuable animals,
but these should not replace appropriate public health activities that
protect humans.

E. ACCIDENTAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO VACCINE: Accidental inoculation may occur
during  administration of animal rabies vaccine. Such exposure to
inactivated vaccines constitutes no rabies hazard.

F. IDENTIFICATION OF VACCINATED ANIMALS: All agencies and veterinarians
should adopt the standard tag system. This practice will aid the
administration of local, state, national, and international control
procedures. Animal license tags should be distinguishable in shape and
color from rabies tags. Anodized aluminum rabies tags should be no less
than 0.064 inches in thickness.

I. RABIES TAGS

YEAR    COLOR   SHAPE
1998    Orange  Oval
1999    Green   Bell
2000    Red     Heart
2001    Blue    Rosette


RABIES CERTIFICATE: All agencies and veterinarians should use the NASPHV
form #51, "Rabies Vaccination Certificate," which can be obtained from
vaccine manufacturers. Computer-generated forms containing the same
information are acceptable.

THE NASPHV COMMITTEE
Suzanne R. Jenkins, VMD. MPH. Chair
Michael Auslander. DVM. MSPH
Robert H. Johnson. DVM
Mira J. Leslie. DVM
Graviton B. Miller. Jr.. MD
F. T. Satalowich, DVM, MSPH
Faye E. Sorhage, VMD, MPH

*Address all correspondence to:
Suzanne R. Jenkins, VMD. MPH
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Epidemiology
Post Office Box 2448. Room 113
Richmond. VA 23218

CONSULTANTS TO THE COMMITTEE
Deborah J. Briggs. PhD
James E. Childs. ScD: Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
David W. Dreesen. DVM. MPVM
William L. Ingalls. DVM. MS: AVMA Council on Public
Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine
Jim McCord. DVM; Animal Health institute
Robert B. Miller. DVM. MPH: Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service. USDA
Charles E. Rupprecht. VMD. PhD: CDC
Charles V. Trimarchi. MS

ENDORSED BY:
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)


Part III: Rabies Control

A. PRINCIPLES OF RABIES CONTROL

1. HUMAN RABIES PREVENTION: Rabies in humans can be prevented either by
eliminating exposures to rabid animals or by providing exposed persons
with prompt local treatment of wounds combined with appropriate passive
and active immunization. The rationale for recommending preexposure and
postexposure rabies prophylaxis and details of their administration can be
found in the current recommendations of the immunization Practices
Advisory Committee (ACIP), of the Public Health Service (PHS). These
recommendations, along with information concerning the current local and
regional status of animal rabies and the availability of human rabies
biologics, are available from state health departments.

2. DOMESTIC ANIMALS: Local governments should initiate and maintain
effective programs to ensure vaccination of all dogs, cats, and ferrets
and to remove strays and unwanted animals. Such procedures in the United
States have reduced laboratory confirmed rabies cases in dogs from 6,949
in 1947 to 111 in 1996. Since more rabies cases are reported annually
involving cats than dogs, vaccination of cats should be required. The
recommended vaccination procedures and the licensed animal vaccines are
specified in Parts I and II of the Compendium.

3. RABIES IN WILDLIFE: The control of rabies among wildlife reservoirs is
difficult. Vaccination of free-ranging wildlife or selective population
reduction may be useful in some situations, but the success of such
procedures depends on the circumstances surrounding each rabies outbreak.
(See C. Control Methods in Wildlife.)


B. CONTROL METHODS IN DOMESTIC AND CONFINED ANIMALS

1. PREEXPOSURE VACCINATION AND MANAGEMENT
Parenteral animal rabies vaccines should be administered only by, or under
the direct supervision of, a veterinarian. This is the only way to ensure
that a responsible person can be held accountable to assure the public
that the animal has been properly vaccinated. Within 1 month after primary
vaccination, a peak rabies antibody titer is reached and the animal can be
considered immunized. An animal is currently vaccinated and is considered
immunized if it was vaccinated at least 30 days previously, and all
vaccinations have been administered in accordance with this Compendium.
Regardless of the age at initial vaccination, a second vaccination should
be given one year later. (See Parts I and II for recommended vaccines and
procedures.)

(a) DOGS, CATS, AND FERRETS
All dogs, cats and ferrets should be vaccinated against rabies at 3 months
of age and revaccinated in accordance with Part II of this Compendium. If
a previously vaccinated animal is overdue for a booster, it should be
revaccinated with a single dose of vaccine and placed on an annual or
triennial schedule depending on the type of vaccine used.

(b) LIVESTOCK
It is neither economically feasible nor justified from a public health
standpoint to vaccinate all livestock against rabies. However,
consideration should be given to vaccination of livestock which are
particularly valuable and or may have frequent contact with humans.

(c) OTHER ANIMALS
(1) WILD
No parenteral rabies vaccine is licensed for use in wild animals. Because
of the risk of rabies in wild animals (especially raccoons, skunks,
coyotes, foxes, and bats), the AVMA, the NASPHV, and the CSTE strongly
recommend the enactment of state laws prohibiting the importation,
distribution, relocation, or keeping of wild animals or hybrids as pets.

(2) MAINTAINED IN EXHIBITS AND IN ZOOLOGICAL PARKS
Captive animals not completely excluded from all contact with rabies
vectors can become infected. Moreover, wild animals may be incubating
rabies when initially captured: therefore, wild-caught animals susceptible
to rabies should be quarantined for a minimum of 180 days before
exhibition. Employees who work with animals at such facilities should
receive preexposure rabies immunization. The use of pre- or postexposure
rabies immunizations of employees who work with animals at such facilities
may reduce the need for euthanasia of captive animals.

2. STRAY ANIMALS
Stray dogs, cats, or ferrets should be removed from the community. Local
health departments and animal control officials can enforce the removal of
strays more effectively if owned animals are confined or kept on leash.
Strays should be impounded for at least 3 days to give owners sufficient
time to reclaim animals and to determine if human exposure has occurred.

3. QUARANTINE

(a) INTERNATIONAL
CDC regulates the importation of dogs and cats into the United States, but
present PHS reeulations (42 CFR No. 71.51) governing the importation of
such animals are insufficient to prevent the introduction of rabid animals
into the country. All dogs and cats imported from countries with endemic
rabies should be currently vaccinated against rabies as recommended in
this Compendium. The appropriate public health official of the state of
destination should be notified within 72 hours of any unvaccinated dog or
cat imported into his or her jurisdiction. The conditional admission of
such animals into the United States is subject to state and local laws
governing rabies. Failure to comply with these requirements should be
promptly reported to the Division of Quarantine, CDC. 404-639-8107.

(b) INTERSTATE
Prior to interstate movement, dogs, cats, and ferrets should be currently
vaccinated against rabies in accordance with the Compendium's
recommendations (sec B.l. Preexposure Vaccination and Management). Animals
in transit should be accompanied by a currently valid NASPHV form #51,
Rabies Vaccination Certificate.

4. ADJUNCT PROCEDURES
Methods or procedures which enhance rabies control include:
(a) LICENSURE. Registration or licensure of all dogs, cats, and ferrets
may be used to aid in rabies control. A fee is frequently charged for such
licensure and revenues collected are used to maintain rabies or animal
control programs. Vaccination is an essential prerequisite to licensure.

(b) CANVASSING OF AREA. House-to-house canvassing by animal control
personnel facilitates enforcement of vaccination and licensure
requirements.

(c) CITATIONS. Citations are legal summonses issued to owners for
violations, including the failure to vaccinate or license their animals.
The authority for officers to issue citations should be an integral part
of each animal control program.

(d) ANIMAL CONTROL. All communities should incorporate stray animal
control, leash laws, and training of personnel in their programs.

5. POSTEXPOSURE MANAGEMENT
ANY ANIMAL BITTEN OR SCRATCHED BY A WILD, CARNIVOROUS MAMMAL OR A BAT THAT
IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR TESTING SHOULD BE REGARDED AS HAVING BEEN EXPOSED TO
RABIES.

(a) DOGS, CATS, AND FERRETS
Unvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal should be
euthanized immediately. If the owner is unwilling to have this done, the
animal should be placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1
month before being released. Animals with expired vaccinations need to be
evaluated on a case by case basis. Dogs, cats, and ferrets that are
currently vaccinated should be revaccinated immediately, kept under the
owner's control, and observed for 45 days.

(b) LIVESTOCK
All species of livestock are susceptible to rabies: cattle and horses are
among the most frequently infected. Livestock exposed to a rabid animal
and currently vaccinated with a vaccine approved by USDA for that species
should he revaccinated immediately and observed for 45 days. Unvaccinated
livestock should be slaughtered immediately. If the owner is unwilling to
have this done, the animal should be kept under very close observation for
6 months.

The following are recommendations for owners of unvaccinated livestock
exposed to rabid animals:

(1) If the animal is slaughtered within 7 days of being bitten, its
tissues may be eaten without risk of infection, provided liberal portions
of the exposed area are discarded. Federal meat inspectors must reject for
slaughter any animal known to have been exposed to rabies within 8 months.

Neither tissues nor milk from a rabid animal should be used for human or
animal consumption. However, since pasteurization temperatures will
inactivate rabies virus, drinking pasteurized milk or eating cooked meat
does not constitute a rabies exposure.

(3) It is rare to have more than one rabid animal in a herd, or herbivore
to herbivore transmission: therefore, it may not be necessary to restrict
the rest of the herd if a single animal has been exposed to or infected by
rabies.

(c) OTHER ANIMALS
Other animals bitten by a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately.
Animals maintained in USDA licensed research facilities or accreditied
zoological parks should be evaluated on a case by case basis.

6. MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS THAT BITE HUMANS
A healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person should be confined and
observed for 10 days;it is recommended that rabies vaccine not be
administered during the observation period. Such animals should be
evaluated by a veterinarian at the first sign of illness during
confinement. Any illness in the animal should be reported immediately to
the local health department. If signs suggestive of rabies develop, the
animal should be euthanized, its head removed, and the head shipped under
refrigeration (not frozen) for examination of the brain by a qualified
laboratory designated by the local or state health department. Any stray
or unwanted dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person may be euthanized
immediately and the head submitted as described above for rabies
examination. Other biting animals which might have exposed a person to
rabies should be reported immediately to the local health department.

Prior vaccination of an animal may not preclude the necessity for
euthanasia and testing if the period of virus shedding is unknown for that
species. Management of animals other than dogs, cats, and ferrets depends
on the species, the circumstances of the bite, the epidemiology of rabies
in the area, and the biting animal's history, current health status, and
potential for exposure to rabies.

C. CONTROL METHODS IN WILDLIFE

The public should be warned not to handle wildlife. Wild mammals and
hybrids that bite or otherwise expose people, pets or livestock should be
considered for euthanasia and rabies examination. A person bitten by any
wild mammal should immediately report the incident to a physician who can
evaluate the need for antirabies treatment. (See current rabies
prophylaxis recommendations of the ACIP.)

1. TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS
The use of licensed oral vaccines for the mass immunization of
free-ranging wildlife should be considered in selected situations, with
the approval of the state agency responsible for animal rabies control.
Continuous and persistent government-funded programs for trapping or
poisoning wildlife are not cost effective in reducing wildlife rabies
reservoirs on a statewide basis. However, limited control in high-contact
areas (picnic grounds, camps, suburban areas) may be indicated for the
removal of selected high-risk species of wildlife. The state wildlife
agency and state health department should be consulted for coordination of
any proposed vaccination or population reduction programs.

2. BATS
(a) Indigenous rabid bats have been reported from every state except
Hawaii, and have caused rabies in at least 28 humans in the United States.
It is neither feasible nor desirable, however, to control rabies in bats
by programs to reduce bat populations.

(b) Bats should be excluded from houses and adjacent structures to prevent
direct association with humans. Such structures should then be made
bat-proof by sealing entrances used by bats.

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