Rabies case in quarantine in South East England
Information Bulletin
Defra and the Health Protection Agency have carried out a full and thorough investigation following confirmation of rabies on 25 April in a dog which had originated in Sri Lanka and which died of rabies in a UK quarantine facility.
That investigation has now concluded. In the light of the findings of the investigation, restrictions placed on the quarantine facility on 25 April can be lifted. This also allows us to lift the precautionary restrictions placed on four other dogs that had been released from the same facility when they completed their quarantine period after the dog which died of rabies arrived from Sri Lanka.
A full tracing exercise for animals and humans that may have been in contact with the infected dog was carried out and satisfactorily concluded. Medical advice and treatment, where appropriate, was given to all people who had been in contact with the dog and were considered to be at risk. Even if someone has been bitten by an animal with rabies, prompt post-exposure treatment is highly effective in preventing rabies in humans.
In addition, results from tests on four dogs which were humanely destroyed on 25 April because they were considered to be high risk show that these dogs were not in the later stages of rabies and were not, at the time they were destroyed, infective to other animals at the quarantine.
Defra worked closely with the Health Protection Agency and the Department of Health to ensure that any risks to human and animal health were minimised. The Health Protection Agency is content that restrictions are being lifted.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website
http://www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development
To subscribe or unsubscribe to Defra's mailing list go to: http://nds.coi.gov.uk
Once on the NDS website see Sign up
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Website http://www.defra.gov.uk
Published on: 2008-05-07
Limited copyright is granted for you to use and/or republish any story on this site for
any legitimate media purpose as long as you reference 7thSpace and any source mentioned in the story above. Please
make sure to read our disclaimer prior to contacting 7thSpace Interactive. To contact our editors, visit our online helpdesk.
Social Bookmarking
Digg this! | Post to del.icio.us | Post to Furl | Add to Netscape | Add to Yahoo! | Rojo
|
|
