# Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 1998 National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians, Inc.*
The purpose of this Compendium is to provide 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 parenteral 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 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 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, the vaccine must be injected at one site in the thigh.

# D. Vaccination of Wildlife and Hybrids
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 rabies 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.

# 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 vaccine tags. Anodized aluminum rabies tags should be no less than 0.064 inches in thickness.
1. Rabies Tags 4. Adjunct Procedures. Methods or procedures that enhance rabies control include the following: 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 those 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) Having more than one rabid animal in a herd or having herbivore-toherbivore transmission is rare; therefore, restricting the rest of the herd if a single animal has been exposed to or infected by rabies may not be necessary. c. Other Animals. Other animals bitten by a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately. Animals maintained in USDA-licensed research facilities or accredited zoological parks should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

# Management of Animals That Bite Humans.
A healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person should be confined and observed for 10 days; not administering rabies vaccine during the observation period is recommended. 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. Animals other than dogs, cats, or ferrets that might have exposed a person to rabies should be reported immediately to the local health department. Prior vaccination of an animal does 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. Postexposure management of persons should follow the recommendations of the ACIP.*

# 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 (e.g., picnic grounds, camps, or 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. Indigenous rabid bats have been reported from every state except Hawaii and have caused rabies in at least 28 humans in the United States. However, controlling rabies in bats by programs to reduce their populations is neither feasible nor desirable. 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. Persons with frequent bat contact should be immunized against rabies as recommended by the ACIP.*
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# 6U.S. Government Printing Office: 1998-633-228/67077 Region IV