Vaccines ensure rabies won’t jump to humans
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – There will be no human rabies outbreak because the government has prepared ample vaccines, according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) chief Chang Feng-yee (張峰義).
Anyone bitten or scratched by a wild mammal or a stray cat or dog can receive a free publicly funded rabies vaccination regardless of where the incident takes place, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The policy change comes after the Council of Agriculture (COA) announced Tuesday that a house shrew that bit a woman in Taitung City on July 24 has become the first confirmed cross-species rabies infection since the first ferret-badger with rabies was discovered earlier last month.
Due to the increasing number of rabies cases being discovered, the CDC has decided to expand eligibility nationwide for free rabies vaccines for those bitten or scratched by wild mammals or stray cats or dogs.
Deputy CDC Director Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that if people who are bitten or scratched test negative for rabies or if the animal involved shows no signs of rabies, patients will not need further rabies vaccinations.
As of press time the COA had confirmed 18 ferret-badgers and one house shrew as testing positive for the virus, with the cases coming from Nantou County, Taitung City, Yunlin County, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Chang Shu-hsien (張淑賢), head of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ), said that tests have found that the virus discovered in the house shrew is very similar to that found in a ferret-badger that bit a person in the same area.
“Experts believe that the house shrew was bitten by the ferret-badger before it entered the house,” said Chang.
CDC head Chang Feng-yee said that over 40,000 rabies vaccines for humans will be available by the end of August.
“There are currently 1,872 rabies vaccines for humans in stock and 20,000 more will arrive in Taiwan within eight workdays,” said Chang.
“The number of vaccines is sufficient, so people should immediately go to a nearby hospital for medical treatment if bitten or scratched by a wild mammal or possibly infected cat or dog.”
Experts’ Advice
Fei Chang-yung, a professor at National Taiwan University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said that taking action to prevent house shrews from entering residences will help stop the spread of rabies to people.
Compared to dogs, Fei said, the rabies virus usually kills house shrews in a short period of time after being transmitted.
Mammal expert Lin Liang-gong (林良恭) said that the government should take a more proactive approach to rabies prevention.
“To stop the virus spreading to other animals, the government can send in officials and experts to where rabies cases are coming from in order to find out if other species have also been infected,” said Lin.
Source: The China Post/Asia News Network
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
