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Rabid Dog Imported Into U.S., At Least 12 People Exposed

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  • Rabid Dog Imported Into U.S., At Least 12 People Exposed

    Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucele...h=37c7b5ec2e36

    Jun 20, 2021,12:24am EDT|1,
    Rabid Dog Imported Into U.S., At Least 12 People Exposed
    Bruce Y. LeeSenior Contributor

    Who let the dog in?

    Since dog rabies has essentially been eliminated from the U.S. since 2007, it’s been really important to keep out of the U.S. any dogs who may be carrying the dog rabies virus. Remember a dog’s threshold for licking others tends to be lower than a human’s threshold to do the same, well at least most humans’ thresholds. It takes only one dog biting, licking, and doing unspeakable things to other animals to re-introduce this nasty version of the virus back in the country. And no one wants this bad news virus back in the U.S., except for maybe the virus. That’s why every case of a rabid dog has to be taken super-seriously.

    Since 2015, only three rabid dogs had made it into the U.S. before this month. And now there have been four. At least four, that is.

    On June 10, a shipment of 34 animals, including 33 dogs and one cat, came from Azerbaijan to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. One of those dogs eventually made it to a family in Chester County, Pennsylvania. This new addition to the household, though, soon went poorly. The dog began exhibiting strange behaviors and subsequently tested positive for rabies. As I covered for Forbes just four days ago, the dog rabies virus attacks the brain and central nervous system. This can lead to symptoms like fever, difficulty swallowing, over-sensitivity to light, restlessness, irritability, and “foaming of the mouth.” Eventually, seizures and paralysis can occur. As rabies is essentially 100% fatal once symptoms emerge, all of this unfortunately led to the dog being euthanized.

    When it’s a case of dog rabies in U.S., you’ve got to make a federal case out of it, so to speak, for the reasons mentioned earlier. That’s why federal officials are working with health officials in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, and New York, the states that may have been affected by the June 10 shipment from Azerbaijan. They are trying to identify anyone or any animal who may have come into contact with the dog carrying rabies. So far, it appears that at least 12 people have been exposed...

  • #2
    Immediate notification
    Rabies virus (Inf. with) , United States of America

    ...
    COUNTRY OR ZONE
    ZONE

    DISEASE
    Rabies virus (Inf. with)

    STARTED ON
    09-06-2021

    ANIMAL TYPE
    TERRESTRIAL

    GENOTYPE/ SEROTYPE/ SUBTYPE
    RABV

    CONFIRMED ON
    17-06-2021

    REASON
    Recurrence

    CAUSAL AGENT
    Rabies virus

    ENDED ON
    -

    DISEASE CATEGORY
    OIE-listed

    REPORTED ON
    15-07-2021

    LAST OCCURRENCE
    30-12-2019
    ...
    SOURCE OF EVENT OR ORIGIN OF INFECTION
    - Animal vaccine failure

    - Legal movement of animals


    EPIDEMIOLOGICAL COMMENTS
    -- Importation of a dog infected with the canine rabies variant into the United States, which is considered free from this viral variant since 2007. The imported rabid dog developed signs of rabies 3 days after importation and was euthanized by a private veterinarian before testing positive at the National Reference Laboratory. Virus characterization confirmed the dog was infected with a canine rabies virus variant that has been previously reported in Azerbaijan. Additional animals that originated from the same rescue as the rabid dog are undergoing serological screening and quarantine. The rabid dog potentially exposed up to 36 people and 33 other animals (32 dogs and 1 cat). After assessment, post exposure prophylaxis has been recommended to 15 people. The exposed animals are being closely monitored under quarantine. As of July 7, 2021, results of prospective serologic monitoring (paired rabies titers at day 0 and 5 after rabies booster vaccine) are available from 30/33 (91%) exposed animals. Six of 30 (20%) animals did not show an expected response to booster vaccination and CDC is concerned about improper vaccination practices in Azerbaijan. CDC continues to investigate reasons for vaccine failure in these animals.
    ...
    Outbreaks
    down
    ob_87577 - Chester County
    down
    OUTBREAK REFERENCE
    -

    STARTED ON
    10-06-2021

    EPIDEMIOLOGICAL UNIT
    Other

    DETAILED CHARACTERISATION
    -

    NUMBER OF OUTBREAKS
    -

    ENDED ON
    13-06-2021

    AFFECTED POPULATION DESCRIPTION
    The affected population includes the case dog, and 32 dogs and 1 cat that were imported from the same rescue as the rabid dog and are considered “exposed”. These animals are all under strict quarantine by local health officials.

    APPROXIMATE LOCATION
    Chester County

    FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
    Pennsylvania

    SECOND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
    Chester

    THIRD ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
    -

    GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES
    Lat : 40.0297

    Long : -75.5129


    SPECIES MEASURING UNIT SUSCEPTIBLE CASES DEATHS KILLED AND DISPOSED OF SLAUGHTERED/KILLED FOR COMMERCIAL USE VACCINATED
    Cats NEW Animal 1 0 0 0 0 1
    TOTAL Animal 1 0 0 0 0 1
    Dogs NEW Animal 33 1 0 1 0 32
    TOTAL Animal 33 1 0 1 0 32
    - NEW Animal 34 1 0 1 0 33
    TOTAL Animal 34 1 0 1 0 33
    ...
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

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