This report is being published as a courtesy to both the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., and to the MMWR readership. Its publication does not imply endorsement by CDC.#
The purpose of this compendium is to provide rabies information to veterinarians, public health officials, and others concerned with rabies prevention and 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. Vaccination 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 Vaccination 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
Part II lists all vaccines licensed by USDA and marketed in the United States at the time of publication. New vaccine approvals or changes in label specifications made subsequent to publication should be considered as part of this list. Vaccines used in state and local rabies-control programs should have a 3-year duration of immunity. This constitutes the most effective method of increasing the proportion of immunized dogs and cats in any population.

# C. Route of Inoculation
All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the specifications of the product label or package insert. Adverse reactions and vaccine failures should be reported to USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Center for Veterinary Biologics at (800) 752-6255 or by e-mail at CVB@usda.gov.

# D. Wildlife and Hybrid Animal 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 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
Human exposure to parenteral animal rabies vaccines listed in Part II does not constitute a risk for rabies infection. However, human exposure to vaccinia-vectored oral rabies vaccines should be reported to state health officials.

# F. Identification of Vaccinated Animals
Agencies and veterinarians may adopt the standard tag system to aid in the administration of animal rabies control procedures. ) to allow for verification of rabies vaccination status. b. 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.

# Rabies Tags.

# Calendar year
Vaccination is an essential prerequisite to licensure. c. Canvassing of Area. House-to-house canvassing by animal-control personnel facilitates enforcement of vaccination and licensure requirements. d. 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. e. Animal Control. All communities should incorporate stray animal control, leash laws, and training of personnel in their programs. 5. Postexposure Management. Any animal potentially exposed to rabies virus (see Part IIIA1, Rabies Exposure) 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 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 for infection, provided that 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. Pasteurization temperatures will inactivate rabies virus; therefore, 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 might not be necessary. c. Other Animals. Other mammals 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. 6. Management of Animals That Bite Humans. a. A healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person should be confined and observed daily for 10 days; administration of rabies vaccine is not recommended 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 for rabies examination. b. 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 might 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 Among Wildlife
The public should be warned not to handle wildlife. Wild mammals and hybrids that bite or otherwise expose persons, 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*). State-regulated wildlife rehabilitators may play a role in a comprehensive rabies-control program. Minimum standards for persons who rehabilitate wild mammals should include receipt of rabies vaccination, appropriate training, and continuing education. Translocation of infected wildlife has contributed to the spread of rabies; therefore, the translocation of known terrestrial rabies reservoir species should be prohibited. *CDC. Human rabies prevention-United States, 1999: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR 1999;48(No. RR-1).
1. Terrestrial Mammals. The use of licensed oral vaccines for the mass vaccination 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. State agriculture, public health, and wildlife agencies should be consulted for planning, coordination, and evaluation of vaccination or populationreduction programs. 2. Bats. Indigenous rabid bats have been reported from every state except Hawaii and have caused rabies in at least 33 humans in the United States. 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. Controlling rabies among bats by implementing programs designed to reduce bat populations is neither feasible nor desirable.