Compendium of Animal Rabies Control, 1994
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. *
The purpose of this Compendium is to provide rabies information
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
standard-
ization of procedures among jurisdictions, thereby contributing to
an
effective national rabies control program. This document is
reviewed
annually and revised as necessary. Immunization procedure recommen-
dations 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
Vaccine Administration
All animal rabies vaccines should be restricted to use by, or
under
the direct supervision of, a veterinarian.
Vaccine Selection
In comprehensive rabies control programs, only vaccines with a
3-year
duration of immunity should be used. This constitutes the most
effective
method of increasing the proportion of immunized dogs and cats in
any
population. (See Part II.)
Route of Inoculation
All vaccines must be administered in accordance with the
specifi-
cations of the product label or package insert. If administered
intra-
muscularly, it must be at one site in the thigh.
Wildlife Vaccination
Parenteral vaccination of captive wildlife is not recommended
because
the efficacy of rabies vaccines in such animals has not been
established
and no vaccine is licensed for wildlife. For this reason, and
because
virus shedding periods are unknown, wild or exotic carnivores and
bats
should not be kept as pets. Hybrids (offspring of wild species bred
with
domestic dogs or cats) are considered wildlife. Zoos and research
institutions may establish vaccination programs which attempt to
protect
valuable animals, but not in lieu of appropriate public health
activities that protect humans. When they become available, the use
of
licensed oral vaccines for the mass immunization of wildlife may be
considered in selected situations with state government approval.
Accidental Human Exposure to Vaccine
Accidental inoculation may occur during administration of animal
rabies vaccine. Such exposure to inactivated vaccines constitutes
no
rabies hazard.
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 tags. Anodized
aluminum
rabies tags should be no less than 0.064 inches in thickness.
Rabies Tags
Calendar Year Color Shape
---------------------------------------
1994 Orange Fireplug
1995 Green Bell
1996 Red Heart
1997 Blue Rosette
Rabies Certificate. All agencies and veterinarians should use
the
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
(NASPHV)
form #50 or #51, "Rabies Vaccination Certificate," which can
be
obtained from vaccine manufacturers. Computer-generated forms
containing the same information are acceptable.
Part II: Vaccines Marketed in the United States and NASPHV
Recommendations
Human Rabies Prevention. Rabies in humans can be prevented
either
by eliminating exposures to rabid animals or by providing
exposed
persons with prompt local treatment of wounds combined with
appro-
priate passive and active immunization. The rationale for
recom-
mending preexposure and postexposure rabies prophylaxis and
details of their administration can be found in the current
recom-
mendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee
(ACIP)
of the Public Health Service (PHS). These recommendations,
along
with information concerning the current local and regional
status
of animal rabies and the availability of human rabies
biologics,
are available from state health departments.
Domestic Animals. Local governments should initiate and
maintain
effective programs to ensure vaccination of all dogs and cats
and
to remove strays and unwanted animals. Such procedures in the
United States have reduced laboratory confirmed rabies cases
in
dogs from 6,949 in 1947 to 182 in 1992. Because more rabies
cases
are reported annually involving cats than dogs, vaccination
of
cats should be required. The recommended vaccination
procedures
and the licensed animal vaccines are specified in Parts I and
II
of the Compendium.
Rabies in Wildlife. The control of rabies among wildlife
reser-
voirs is difficult. Selective population reduction may be
useful
in some situations, but the success of such procedures
depends on
the circumstances surrounding each rabies outbreak. (See
Section
C. Control Methods in Wildlife.)
Control Methods in Domestic and Confined Animals
Preexposure Vaccination and Management. Animal rabies
vaccines
should be administered only by, or under the direct
supervision
of, a veterinarian. This is the only way to ensure that a
respon-
sible person can be held accountable to assure the public
that the
animal has been properly vaccinated. Within 1 month after
primary
vaccination, a peak rabies antibody titer is reached and the
animal can be considered immunized. An animal is currently
vaccinated and is considered immunized if it was vaccinated
at
least 30 days previously, and all vaccinations have been
adminis-
tered in accordance with this Compendium. Regardless of the
age at
initial vaccination, a second vaccination should be
administered
1 year later. (See Parts I and II for recommended vaccines
and
procedures.)
Dogs and Cats. All dogs and cats should be vaccinated
against
rabies at 3 months of age and revaccinated in accordance
with
Part II of this Compendium.
Ferrets. Ferrets may be vaccinated against rabies at 3
months
of age and revaccinated in accordance with Part II of this
Compendium.
Livestock. It is neither economically feasible nor
justified
from a public health standpoint to vaccinate all livestock
against rabies. However, consideration should be given to
the
vaccination of livestock, especially animals which are
parti-
cularly valuable and/or may have frequent contact with
humans,
in areas where rabies is epizootic in terrestrial animals.
Other Animals
Wild. No rabies vaccine is licensed for use in
wildlife.
Because of the risk of rabies in wildlife (especially
raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and foxes), the American
Veterinary Medical Association, the NASPHV, and the
Council
of State and Territorial Epidemiologists strongly
recommend
the enactment of state laws prohibiting the
importation,
distribution, relocation, or keeping of wildlife and
wildlife crossbred to domestic dogs and cats as pets.
Maintained in Exhibits and in Zoological Parks. Captive
animals not completely excluded from all contact with
rabies
vectors can become infected. Moreover, wildlife may be
incubating rabies when initially captured; therefore,
wild-
caught animals susceptible to rabies should be
quarantined
for a minimum of 180 days before exhibition. Employees
who
work with animals at such facilities should receive
preexposure rabies immunization. The use of preexposure
or
postexposure rabies immunizations of employees who work
with
animals at such facilities may reduce the need for
euthanasia of captive animals.
Stray Animals. Stray dogs or cats should be removed from the
community, especially in areas where rabies is epizootic.
Local
health departments and animal control officials can enforce
the
removal of strays more effectively if owned animals are
confined
or kept on leash. Strays should be impounded for at least 3
days
to give owners sufficient time to reclaim animals and to
determine
if human exposure has occurred.
Quarantine
International. CDC regulates the importation of dogs and
cats
into the United States, but present PHS regulations (42
CFR No.
71.51) governing the importation of such animals are
insuffi-
cient to prevent the introduction of rabid animals into
the
country. All dogs and cats imported from countries with
enzootic rabies should be currently vaccinated against
rabies
as recommended in this Compendium. The appropriate public
health official of the state of destination should be
notified
within 72 hours of any unvaccinated dog or cat imported
into
his or her jurisdiction. The conditional admission of such
animals into the United States is subject to state and
local
laws governing rabies. Failure to comply with these
require-
ments should be promptly reported to the director of the
respective quarantine center.
Interstate. Dogs and cats should be vaccinated against
rabies
according to the Compendium's recommendations at least 30
days
prior to interstate movement. Animals in transit should be
accompanied by a currently valid NASPHV Form #50 or #51,
Rabies
Vaccination Certificate.
Adjunct Procedures. Methods or procedures which enhance
rabies
control include:
Licensure. Registration or licensure of all dogs and cats
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.
Canvassing of Area. House-to-house canvassing by animal
control
personnel facilitates enforcement of vaccination and
licensure
requirements.
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.
Animal Control. All communities should incorporate stray
animal
control, leash laws, and training of personnel in their
programs.
Postexposure Management. Any animal bitten or scratched by a
wild,
carnivorous mammal (or a bat) not available for testing
should be
regarded as having been exposed to rabies.
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. Dogs and cats that are currently
vaccinated
should be revaccinated immediately, kept under the owner's
control, and observed for 45 days.
Livestock. All species of livestock are susceptible to
rabies;
cattle and horses are among the most frequently infected
of all
domestic animals. 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 very close observation for 6 months.
The following are recommendations for owners of
unvaccinated
livestock exposed to rabid animals:
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.
Neither tissues nor milk from a rabid animal should be
used
for human or animal consumption. However, since
pasteur-
ization temperatures will inactivate rabies virus,
drinking
pasteurized milk or eating cooked meat does not
constitute
a rabies exposure.
It is rare to have more than one rabid animal in a
herd, or
herbivore to herbivore transmission, and 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.
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.
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
veter-
inarian 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 humanely killed, its head removed, and the
head
shipped under refrigeration for examination 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
humanely
killed immediately and the head submitted as described above
for
rabies examination. Other biting animals which 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, and the epidemiology of rabies in the area.
Control Methods in Wildlife
The public should be warned not to handle wildlife. Wild
carnivorous
mammals and bats (as well as the offspring of wild species
cross-bred
with domestic dogs and cats) that bite or otherwise expose people,
pets
or livestock should be humanely killed and the head submitted for
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.)
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, and 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 population reduction
programs.
Bats
Indigenous rabid bats have been reported from every state
except Alaska and Hawaii, and have caused rabies in at
least 19
humans in the United States. It is neither feasible nor
desirable, however, 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.
THE NASPHV COMMITTEE: Keith A. Clark, DVM, PhD, Chair; Millicent
Eidson, MA, DVM; Suzanne R. Jenkins, VMD, MPH; Russell J.
Martin,
DVM, MPH; Grayson B. Miller, Jr., MD; F. T. Satalowich, DVM,
MSPH;
Faye E. Sorhage, VMD, MPH. CONSULTANTS TO THE COMMITTEE: James
E.
Childs, ScD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
Robert
B. Miller, DVM, MPH, APHIS, USDA; Patrick Morgan, DVM, DrPH,
AVMA
Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine;
Charles
E. Rupprecht, VMD, PhD, CDC; R. Keith Sikes, DVM, MPH; Richard
A.
Zehr, Veterinary Biologics Section, Animal Health Institute.
ENDORSED
BY: American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); Council of
State
and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE).
Address all correspondence to: Keith A. Clark, DVM, PhD,
Zoonosis
Control Division, Texas Department of Health, 1100 West 49th
Street,
Austin, TX 78756.
Table_II Note:
To print large tables and graphs users may have to change their printer settings to landscape and use a small font size.
Part II: Vaccines Marketed in the United States and NASPHV Recommendations
===========================================================================================================================================
Age at
For use Dosage primary Booster Route of
Product name Produced by Marketed by in (ml) vaccination * recommended inoculation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A) INACTIVATED
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRIMUNE Fort Dodge Fort Dodge Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM **
License No. 112 Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM
ANNUMUNE Fort Dodge Fort Dodge Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM
License No. 112 Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
DURA-RAB 1 ImmunoVet ImmunoVet, Vedco, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM
License No. 302-A Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
DURA-RAB 3 ImmunoVet ImmunoVet, Vedco, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
License No. 302-A Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM
RABCINE 3 ImmunoVet SmithKline Beecham Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
License No. 302-A Animal Health Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM
ENDURALL-K SmithKline Beecham SmithKline Beecham Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM
License No. 189 Animal Health Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
ENDURALL-P SmithKline Beecham SmithKline Beecham Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ ***
License No. 189 Animal Health Cats 1 3 mos Annually SQ
RABGUARD-TC SmithKline Beecham SmithKline Beecham Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
License No. 189 Animal Health Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM
Sheep 1 3 mos Annually IM
Cattle 1 3 mos Annually IM
Horses 1 3 mos Annually IM
DEFENSOR SmithKline Beecham SmithKline Beecham Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM or SQ
License No. 189 Animal Health Cats 1 yr later Triennially SQ
Sheep 2 3 mos Annually IM
Cattle 2 3 mos Annually IM
RABDOMUN SmithKline Beecham Pitman-Moore, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM or SQ
License No. 189 Cats 1 yr later Triennially SQ
Sheep 2 3 mos Annually IM
Cattle 2 3 mos Annually IM
RABDOMUN-1 SmithKline Beecham Pitman-Moore, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
License No. 189 Cats 1 3 mos Annually SQ
SENTRYRAB-1 SmithKline Beecham Synbiotics Corp. Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM
Animal Health Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
License No. 225
CYTORAB Coopers Animal Health, Coopers Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM
Inc., License No. 107 Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
TRIRAB Coopers Animal Health, Coopers Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
Inc., License No. 107 yr later
Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
EPIRAB Coopers Animal Health, Coopers Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
Inc., License No. 107 Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM
RABVAC 1 Solvay Animal Health, Solvay Animal Health, Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
Inc., License No. 195-A Inc. Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
RABVAC 3 Solvay Animal Health, Solvay Animal Health, Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM or SQ
Inc., License No. 195-A Inc. Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM or SQ
Horses 2 3 mos Annually IM
PRORAB 1 Intervet, Inc. Intervet, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
License No. 287 Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
Ferrets 1 3 mos Annually SQ
Sheep 2 3 mos Annually IM
RM IMRAB 1 Rhone Merieux, Inc. Rhone Merieux, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
License No. 298 Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
RM IMRAB 3 Rhone Merieux, Inc. Rhone Merieux, Inc. Dogs 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM or SQ
License No. 298 Cats 1 yr later Triennially IM or SQ
Sheep 2 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM or SQ
yr later
Cattle 2 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
Horses 2 3 mos Annually IM or SQ
Ferrets 1 3 mos Annually SQ
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B) COMBINATION (inactivated rabies)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ECLIPSE 3 KP-R Solvay Animal Health, Solvay Animal Health, Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
Inc., License No. 195-A Inc.
ECLIPSE 4 KP-R Solvay Animal Health, Solvay Animal Health, Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
Inc., License No. 195-A Inc.
CYTORAB RCP Coopers Animal Health, Coopers Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
Inc., License No. 107
FEL-O-VAX Fort Dodge Fort Dodge Cats 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially IM
PCT-R License No. 112 yr later
ECLIPSE 4-R Solvay Animal Health, Solvay Animal Health, Cats 1 3 mos Annually IM
Inc., License No. 195-A Inc.
RM FELINE 4 + Rhone Merieux, Inc. Rhone Merieux, Inc. Cats 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially SQ
IMRAB 3 License No. 298 yr later
RM FELINE 3 + Rhone Merieux, Inc. Rhone Merieux, Inc. Cats 1 3 mos & 1 Triennially SQ
IMRAB 3 License No. 298 yr later
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Three months of age (or older) and revaccinated 1 year later.
** Intramuscularly
*** Subcutaneously
===========================================================================================================================================
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