Fwd: Rabies control measure is futile, may have ulterior motive

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

a few days ago, I have circulated a news that another

dog cull was ordered to check rabies' spread in China.

 

Maoming government officials will send out squads

to put down thousands of dogs on September 1 with an

excuse to control rabies. About 60,000 dogs have been

already put to death in Guangdong in recent days with

a similar excuse, despite the anger and protest of pet

lovers and animal experts.

 

Below is Meritt's letter to a Chinese newspaper. It is

worth reading and will help you in making clear

points. Although I know everyone is in shock and feel

helpless over the continuation of senseless killings

in China, please let's try again and again till our

messeages are finally heard and acted upon. Please

write to the Chinese embassies worldwide.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/embassy_list.htm

It doesn't matter if you wrote to them before. They

are not likely to keep records of who sent protest

emails or letters. The important thing is they

continue to receive protest messeages.

 

Also please visit the below link and send out a letter

to the Chinese president, Hu Jintao.

 

http://www.animalsasia.org/beInvolved/createChange/cc004.html

 

 

Thank you.

 

Yoon

 

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 08:48:28 -0700

editor

" Merritt Clifton, editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE. "

<anmlpepl

" Rabies control " measure is futile, may have

ulterior motive

Cc:

Bcc:

X-Attachments:

 

Editor:

 

 

While traveling this week in China, I heard

from several different sources that as an alleged

rabies control measure, senior public officials in

Henan province have apparently ordered all persons

with pet dogs to surrender their dogs to be killed by

September 1.

 

 

I have further been informed that this order

is in effect regardless of whether or not the dogs

have been vaccinated against rabies, and that it does

not apply to the huge numbers of unvaccinated dogs who

are kept in unnaturally close proximity to each other

at facilities which breed and sell dogs for human

consumption.

 

As a purported rabies control measure, the

order to kill even vaccinated dogs is nonsense, and

the order to kill any dogs is at best misinformed.

 

 

The exemption given to the unvaccinated dogs

at dog meat production establishments suggests that

this order has an entirely different motive: to

protect the dog meat industry from the growth of

public opposition led by people who have learned the

value of dogs as personal companions.

 

 

The absurdity of the Henan order, from a

public health perspective, requires some background

knowledge of scientific rabies control to be fully

appreciated. All of the leading rabies experts

worldwide are unanimously agreed--and long have

been--that vaccination is the only effective method of

preventing rabies, and that vaccination of

approximately 70% of any animal population at

potential risk is sufficient to prevent any rabies

outbreak which might occur from spreading.

 

 

In fact, the World Health Organization has

advised since 1973--thirty years ago--that trying to

eliminate rabies by attempting to eradicate the host

population of animals is ineffective and pointless.

 

 

Similar position statements appear on the web

sites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control &

Prevention (CVB) and the American Veterinary

Medical Association (www.avma.com).

 

 

The 2003 Compendium of Rabies Control,

updated annually by the U.S. National Association of

Public Health Veterinarians, is only the latest of

hundreds of authoritative publications making these

critical points.

 

 

In 1998 Arthur King, founder of the World

Health Organization's Southern and Eastern Africa

Rabies Group, posted to the ProMED Internet bulletin

board on emerging diseases, maintained by the

International Society for Infectious Diseases, " The

policy of mass dog destruction is now questioned in

many quarters. It creates a vacuum which is quickly

filled by susceptibles; when properly costed, it is

often more expensive than vaccination; and it is

usually totally unacceptable to the public, meeting

with resistance rather than the cooperation essential

to successful campaigns. "

 

 

Added Argentinian rabies expert Oscar P.

Larghi, M.D., " The experience of Latin American

countries should be applied. In Brazil, for

instance, in 1988 one million dogs were vaccinated in

a single day. "

 

 

Brazil is neither as affluent a nation nor as

well-educated as China. If a nation with as low a

rate of literacy as Brazil, as weak an economy, and

as much transportation difficulty can totally

eradicate rabies through vaccination, certainly China

can accomplish as much.

 

 

So, why is this not being done?

 

 

I am skeptical that the answer is ignorance on

the part of the Henan public health officials. The

information I have cited above is quite readily

accessible on the Internet, for example, in

virtually every major language.

 

 

However, it is noteworthy that the practice

of dog-eating is under intensifying criticism,

including within China. Five years ago three public

opinion surveys commissionded by the International

Fund for Animal Welfare and Animals Asia Foundation

discovered that approximately half of all Chinese

citizens already believed then that eating dogs was

wrong, and as keeping dogs as companion animals has

become more popular, this percentage has almost

certainly increased.

 

 

With the approach of the 2008 Olympics, to be

held in Beijing, international animal advocacy

organizations are looking at animal issues in China,

and among them all, dog-eating is the issue most

certain to rally global opinion--as was demonstrated

during the 2002 World Cup of Soccer, held in Seoul,

South Korea. During the World Cup, Korean dog-eating

attracted each more publicity in many nations,

including the U.S. and much of Europe, than the

outcome of the soccer tournament itself.

 

 

Henan may well be anticipating that Beijing

will crack down on the dog meat industry, as a

national embarrassment, lest dog-eating upstage the

Olympics. Killing pet dogs may be seen as protecting

the dog meat industry by intimidating local critics

and preventing other Henan residents from developing a

stronger appreciation of dogs as friends and

companions.

 

 

We will appreciate your investigation and

exposure of this matter.

 

--

 

Merritt Clifton, editor

ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper

providing original investigative coverage of animal

protestion worldwide. We have no alignment or

affiliation with any other entity.

 

 

=====

Friends of dogs

http://www.friendsofdogs.net

Dogs brighten our life with their gift to love and bond. It is our turn to help

our dogs. Please help organisations who are fighting to get dogs out of food

chain.

 

http://www.koreananimals.org/

http://www.animalsasia.org/

http://www.linisgobyerno.org/special_projects.htm

 

 

Plus - For a better Internet experience

http://uk.promotions./yplus/yoffer.html

[Guest guest]

Hi does anyone have a contact e-mail address for the Chinese embassy in

Australia? If, you go to their website from the below link and click on

e-mail, no address comes up in the To section, likewise if, you click on

contact us, nothing comes up. Sept 1 is only a few days away so a letter

will be too late.

 

Thanks, Helena

 

a few days ago, I have circulated a news that another

dog cull was ordered to check rabies' spread in China.

 

Maoming government officials will send out squads

to put down thousands of dogs on September 1 with an

excuse to control rabies. About 60,000 dogs have been

already put to death in Guangdong in recent days with

a similar excuse, despite the anger and protest of pet

lovers and animal experts.

 

Below is Meritt's letter to a Chinese newspaper. It is

worth reading and will help you in making clear

points. Although I know everyone is in shock and feel

helpless over the continuation of senseless killings

in China, please let's try again and again till our

messeages are finally heard and acted upon. Please

write to the Chinese embassies worldwide.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/embassy_list.htm

It doesn't matter if you wrote to them before. They

are not likely to keep records of who sent protest

emails or letters. The important thing is they

continue to receive protest messeages.

 

Also please visit the below link and send out a letter

to the Chinese president, Hu Jintao.

 

http://www.animalsasia.org/beInvolved/createChange/cc004.html

 

 

Thank you.

 

Yoon

 

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 08:48:28 -0700

editor

" Merritt Clifton, editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE. "

<anmlpepl

" Rabies control " measure is futile, may have

ulterior motive

Cc:

Bcc:

X-Attachments:

 

Editor:

 

 

While traveling this week in China, I heard

from several different sources that as an alleged

rabies control measure, senior public officials in

Henan province have apparently ordered all persons

with pet dogs to surrender their dogs to be killed by

September 1.

 

 

I have further been informed that this order

is in effect regardless of whether or not the dogs

have been vaccinated against rabies, and that it does

not apply to the huge numbers of unvaccinated dogs who

are kept in unnaturally close proximity to each other

at facilities which breed and sell dogs for human

consumption.

 

As a purported rabies control measure, the

order to kill even vaccinated dogs is nonsense, and

the order to kill any dogs is at best misinformed.

 

 

The exemption given to the unvaccinated dogs

at dog meat production establishments suggests that

this order has an entirely different motive: to

protect the dog meat industry from the growth of

public opposition led by people who have learned the

value of dogs as personal companions.

 

 

The absurdity of the Henan order, from a

public health perspective, requires some background

knowledge of scientific rabies control to be fully

appreciated. All of the leading rabies experts

worldwide are unanimously agreed--and long have

been--that vaccination is the only effective method of

preventing rabies, and that vaccination of

approximately 70% of any animal population at

potential risk is sufficient to prevent any rabies

outbreak which might occur from spreading.

 

 

In fact, the World Health Organization has

advised since 1973--thirty years ago--that trying to

eliminate rabies by attempting to eradicate the host

population of animals is ineffective and pointless.

 

 

Similar position statements appear on the web

sites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control &

Prevention (CVB) and the American Veterinary

Medical Association (www.avma.com).

 

 

The 2003 Compendium of Rabies Control,

updated annually by the U.S. National Association of

Public Health Veterinarians, is only the latest of

hundreds of authoritative publications making these

critical points.

 

 

In 1998 Arthur King, founder of the World

Health Organization's Southern and Eastern Africa

Rabies Group, posted to the ProMED Internet bulletin

board on emerging diseases, maintained by the

International Society for Infectious Diseases, " The

policy of mass dog destruction is now questioned in

many quarters. It creates a vacuum which is quickly

filled by susceptibles; when properly costed, it is

often more expensive than vaccination; and it is

usually totally unacceptable to the public, meeting

with resistance rather than the cooperation essential

to successful campaigns. "

 

 

Added Argentinian rabies expert Oscar P.

Larghi, M.D., " The experience of Latin American

countries should be applied. In Brazil, for

instance, in 1988 one million dogs were vaccinated in

a single day. "

 

 

Brazil is neither as affluent a nation nor as

well-educated as China. If a nation with as low a

rate of literacy as Brazil, as weak an economy, and

as much transportation difficulty can totally

eradicate rabies through vaccination, certainly China

can accomplish as much.

 

 

So, why is this not being done?

 

 

I am skeptical that the answer is ignorance on

the part of the Henan public health officials. The

information I have cited above is quite readily

accessible on the Internet, for example, in

virtually every major language.

 

 

However, it is noteworthy that the practice

of dog-eating is under intensifying criticism,

including within China. Five years ago three public

opinion surveys commissionded by the International

Fund for Animal Welfare and Animals Asia Foundation

discovered that approximately half of all Chinese

citizens already believed then that eating dogs was

wrong, and as keeping dogs as companion animals has

become more popular, this percentage has almost

certainly increased.

 

 

With the approach of the 2008 Olympics, to be

held in Beijing, international animal advocacy

organizations are looking at animal issues in China,

and among them all, dog-eating is the issue most

certain to rally global opinion--as was demonstrated

during the 2002 World Cup of Soccer, held in Seoul,

South Korea. During the World Cup, Korean dog-eating

attracted each more publicity in many nations,

including the U.S. and much of Europe, than the

outcome of the soccer tournament itself.

 

 

Henan may well be anticipating that Beijing

will crack down on the dog meat industry, as a

national embarrassment, lest dog-eating upstage the

Olympics. Killing pet dogs may be seen as protecting

the dog meat industry by intimidating local critics

and preventing other Henan residents from developing a

stronger appreciation of dogs as friends and

companions.

 

 

We will appreciate your investigation and

exposure of this matter.

 

--

 

Merritt Clifton, editor

ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper

providing original investigative coverage of animal

protestion worldwide. We have no alignment or

affiliation with any other entity.

 

 

=====

Friends of dogs

http://www.friendsofdogs.net

Dogs brighten our life with their gift to love and bond. It is our turn to

help our dogs. Please help organisations who are fighting to get dogs out of

food chain.

 

http://www.koreananimals.org/

http://www.animalsasia.org/

http://www.linisgobyerno.org/special_projects.htm

 

 

Plus - For a better Internet experience

http://uk.promotions./yplus/yoffer.html

 

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