Rabies, canine, human - China (Shandong)

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RABIES, CANINE, HUMAN - CHINA (SHANDONG)

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Sat 5 Aug 2006

Pablo Nart

Source: The Guardian, 4 Aug 2006 [edited]

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1837454,00.html?gusrc=ticker-1

03704>

 

 

A Chinese city has ordered the destruction of all dogs within a 3 mile

radius of a rabies outbreak -- the 2nd major cull in less than a week.

 

Officials in Jining, the provincial capital of Shandong province,

refused to reveal how many of the city's 500 000 dogs would be killed in

the latest cull, which was ordered after the deaths of 16 local people

this year.

 

Animal rights groups have condemned the extermination campaigns, which

they say are cruel, disproportionate, and evidence of the failure of the

country's vaccination and monitoring campaigns.

 

The outrage was sparked this week, when it emerged that police and

public health officials in Mouding -- a county in Yunnan province --

clubbed, electrocuted, and buried alive 50 000 dogs to control the

disease. Regardless of vaccinations, no animal was spared apart from police and

army dogs.

 

An official from Jining's centre for disease control and surveillance

said: " I cannot reveal any information because this is an epidemic situation

and I need authorisation to talk. " But the state media said all dogs

within a 3 mile radius of every rabies case would be slaughtered. A

total of 16 villages inside the municipality have been affected by the

disease.

 

Mad dog disease, as rabies is called in China, [has killed] 2651 people

in 2004. The number of cases has risen steadily in recent years because

of a rise in pet ownership and an irresponsibly low -- 3 per cent --

vaccination rate.

 

But the World Health Organisation [WHO] says the recent countermeasures

have been excessive. " Rabies is a big problem for China and it is one

that is probably under-reported, " said Roy Wadia of the UN agency's

Beijing office. " But we don't encourage this sort of dramatic culling.

There would be no need for it if adequate vaccination and surveillance

measures were in place. "

 

Animal rights groups have complained that the slaughter isindiscriminate.

" This inhumane act has damaged China's international reputation, " said

He Yong, of the International Federation for Animal Welfare. " Simply

killing dogs is no answer to rabies. "

 

In the absence of a strong health system and effective monitoring and

reporting of diseases, China has frequently had to resort to mass culls.

 

The SARS outbreak in 2003 prompted the destruction of countless civet

cats. The bird flu epidemic has led to the slaughter of millions of ducks and

chickens.

 

[byline: Jonathan Watts]

 

--

 

[For a map showing the Shandong province, see

<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-04/02/content_815399.htm>.

Jining is situated at Lat 35:26:49N, Lon 116:33:23E, map at

<http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?lat=25.3163 & lon=101.534 & scale=40

00000 & icon=x>.

 

To properly assess the (apparently excessive) control measures applied

by the Shandong authorities, it would help to obtain data on the number

of owned dogs vs. stray or abandoned dogs. In a rabies-stricken area,

dogs are expected to be vaccinated, muzzled and leashed.

 

The following figures related to number of reported human rabies cases

(= mortalities) since 1995, are derived from WHO Rabnet website:

1995 - 400

1996 - 159

1997 - 230

1998 - 234

1999 - 373

2000 - 505

2001 - 899

2002 - 1532

2003 - 2009

2004 - not available, but according to the above newswire this was 2651;

see <http://www.who.int/globalatlas/DataQuery/default.asp>. - Mod.AS]

 

[see also:

Rabies, canine, human - China (Guangdong) 20060608.1605 Rabies, canine,

human - China (Beijing) 20060226.0632

2005

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Rabies, canine, human - China (Beijing) 20050814.2380 Rabies, human -

China: vaccine failure suspected 20050718.2071 Rabies, canine, human -

China (Guangdong): correction 20050319.0800 Rabies, canine, human -

China (Guangdong): correction 20050319.0799 Rabies, canine - China

(Guangdong) 20050318.0784

2004

---

Rabies, human - China 20040621.1649

2003

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Rabies, human - China (nationwide) (02) 20031125.2920 Rabies - China

(Guangxi) (03) 20031114.2830 Rabies - China (Guangxi) (02): correction

20031114.2821 Rabies - China (Guangxi) (02): correction 20031113.2817

Rabies - China (Guangxi) 20031112.2802 Rabies, human - China

(nationwide) 20030912.2311 Rabies, human - China (Guangdong) (02):

correction 20030722.1794 Rabies, human - China (Guangdong) (02):

correction 20030722.1793 Rabies, human - China (Guangdong) 20030721.1783

2002

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Rabies, human - Taiwan ex China 20020806.4954]

 

..................arn/pg/sh

 

 

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