Canada - 2012 Rabies cases in Labrador- cause for concern

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Rabies case confirmed in Labrador


Provincial veterinarian says many conditions are right for an outbreak

CBC News

Posted: Jan 20, 2012 1:46 PM NT
Last Updated: Jan 20, 2012 3:25 PM NT

The province's chief veterinarian is warning that Labrador is ripe for an outbreak of rabies after a case of the virus was confirmed in a red fox near Wabush.

Tests on a dead fox came back positive for the virus Thursday. A provincial government news release said Friday that this is the first case of rabies reported in Labrador since 2005.

"This could be the one and only case, but we have everything necessary for the virus to spread quite extensively in Labrador," Hugh Whitney, Newfoundland and Labrador?s chief veterinarian, said.

The animal was put down Jan. 12 after it attacked a shovel on the doorstep of a home in Wabush. Whitney said such unusual behaviour is a tell-tale sign of rabies.

"We?ve had cases of a fox biting an axe-handle, attacking a skidoo, chewing on concrete ? this type of very strange behaviour," he said.
Whitney said rabies outbreaks tend to happen when the fox population is high, as it is in Labrador this year. He said outbreaks tend to happen in four-year cycles.

"There is a fairly high concentration of foxes in Lab West. There are a lot of foxes around Goose Bay and there are reports of fox in northern Labrador. We know the virus is circulating in the Ungava Peninsula area.
So everything is there," he said.

More...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/01/20/nl-lab-rabies-120.html

 

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Re: Canada - Rabies case confirmed in Labrador

Re: Canada - Rabies case confirmed in Labrador

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/01/27/nl-rabies-two-127.html


Second case of Labrador fox rabies
Provincial veterinarian expects more cases
CBC News
Posted: Jan 27, 2012 4:54 PM NT
Last Updated: Jan 27, 2012 4:46 PM NT

A second case of fox rabies has been confirmed in Labrador.

The province's chief veterinarian says a red fox killed near Labrador City five days ago tested positive for the disease.

"This second confirmation of rabies proves that the virus is active in Labrador West," said Dr. Hugh Whitney, Chief Veterinary Officer with the Department of Natural Resources Animal Health Division in a news release...

 

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Re: Canada - 2012 Rabies cases in Labrador- cause for concern

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Labrador rabies outbreak cause for concern: chief veterinary officer
Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press
Sun, 27 May 2012 12:46:00 CST

Newfoundland and Labrador's chief veterinary officer says a "significant" and widespread outbreak of rabies in Labrador is cause for concern.

The province's Natural Resources Department has confirmed 16 cases of rabies in red foxes since January, 12 of which were found in Labrador City and Wabush.

Prior to this year, the last confirmed case was in 2005.

But chief veterinary officer Dr. Hugh Whitney said it's not only the number of cases that is worrisome, but also how widespread the disease is across Labrador.

"This one is quite a significant (outbreak)," said Whitney from his office in St. John's. "There are few places left on our map that it hasn't touched."

"We have 15 cases, which is not a large number, but 15 cases over a very large geographic area suggests that it could really be 100 cases, could be 500 cases in reality."

Whitney said that 10 people have been vaccinated for exposure to rabies this year for incidents ranging from bites to handling the carcasses...