From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-11-13 18:56:08 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: Rabies
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>From CDC figures provided by Dr. Freddie Ann Hoffman, MD:
Years that any ferrets in the entire U.S. tested positive for rabies from the start of 1980 through 2001 and the numbers:
1998 (1)
1996 (3)
1995 (2)
1994 (1)
1993 (1)
1992 (2)
1987 (2)
1986 (3)
1985 (2)
1983 (1)
1982 (1)
1981 (1)
There were no ferrets with rabies in the other 10 years.
The average per year for ferrets is below 1 case/year with an approximation of 10 million ferrets in the U.S.
Some other averages during those years are:
229 cats (of approx. 60 million), 140 dogs (of appox 57 million) 253 livestock, 38 rodent and rabbit, and an average of 2 cases per year among humans.
Ferrets usually but not always have presented with the "dumb form" (non aggressive) when given rabies in past studies.
As far as I know there still are no known cases of a human contracting rabies through a ferret (largely because the infected ones die before they can do so) but the CDC does NOT permit any species to be considered impossible to spread rabies if even traces of partial virus are present in saliva, as has happened with some ferrets in studies.
Ferrets are covered by the Compendium of Animal Rabies Control BUT states differ in how they follow it and how their health departments are organized. In states where the local health departments have the most autonomy from the state there is too often the least observance. If the ferret is not known to have been vaccinated then health departments can become pretty aggressive.
Here are some official resources to help people including the 2005 "Compendium of Animal Rabies Control and Prevention":
http://www.avma.org/pubhlth/rabies_compendium_2005.pdf
and
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Ques&Ans/q&a.htm
No, there is no way to test for sure other than killing the animal to check brain tissue that I know of.
Rabies works its way up nerves to the brain where it then replicates and then it works its way down other nerves to places like the salivary glands when it becomes infectious through attack, or sprayed saliva in open wounds or in eyes.
-- Sukie (not a vet)
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