# Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 1997 National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians, Inc.*
This Compendium provides information on rabies control 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. Recommendations for immunization procedures 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 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 be used. This procedure constitutes the most effective method of increasing the proportion of immunized dogs 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 be at one site in the thigh.

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

# E. Accidental Human Exposure to Vaccine
Accidental inoculation can 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 rabies-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.
1. Rabies Tags a. Licensure. Registration or licensure of all dogs and cats can be used to aid in rabies control. A fee frequently is 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 into their programs. 5. Postexposure Management. Any animal bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies. a. Dogs and Cats. Unvaccinated dogs and cats 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 and cats 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 be 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 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. 2) Neither tissues nor milk from a rabid animal should be used for human or animal consumption. However, because 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 to have herbivoreto-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. Such animals currently vaccinated with a vaccine approved by USDA for that species may be revaccinated immediately and placed in strict isolation for at least 90 days.
*Centers for Disease Control andPrevention. Rabies Prevention--United States, 1991. MMWR 1991;40(No. RR-3)1-19.

# Management of Animals that Bite Humans.
A healthy dog or cat 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 or cat that bites a person may be euthanized immediately and the head submitted as described above for rabies examination. Other biting animals that 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 and cats 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. 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 (e.g., picnic grounds, camps, or suburban areas) might 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. Indigenous rabid bats have been reported from every state except Alaska and Hawaii and have caused rabies in at least 24 humans in the United States. However, it is neither feasible nor desirable to control rabies in bats by programs to reduce bat populations. Bats should be excluded from houses and surrounding 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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All material in the MMWR Series is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated. 6U.S. Government Printing Office: 1997-532-228/47054 Region IV