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![]() 189593 Control of feral cats and rabies risk reductionWednesday, October 29, 2008: 9:20 AM
Annually, 55,000 people die of rabies in Africa and Asia where canine rabies is endemic. The World Health Organization favors mass vaccination of dogs over wholesale culling. Vaccination of �street dogs� coupled with sterilization resulted in a progressive decline in both human and dog rabies in India. Dog rabies was eliminated from the U.S. via vaccination and dog control by 1960. The last cat-to-human rabies transmission occurred >30 years ago. The vast majority of US rabies occurs in wildlife (92%); the cat is the most common domestic species affected (5%). The uncontrolled reproduction of cats and their low rate of vaccination contribute to the risk of rabies infection of cats, which may serve as a link between wildlife rabies and humans. Following the model proposed by WHO for control of rabies in dogs, trap-neuter-return programs perform mass vaccination and sterilization of free-roaming cats. Feral cat TNR programs may be the largest providers of rabies vaccines in some communities. A single vaccine protects cats against severe challenge for more than 4 years. Feral cats vaccinated at the time of surgery develop adequate rabies titers within 8-12 weeks. TNR has been shown to result in substantial and sustained reductions of cat populations. Findings from studies to be discussed suggest that mass sterilization and vaccination form a publicly-acceptable and effective strategy for controlling both free-roaming cat populations and their negative impacts on public health and the environment. TNR should be included as a tool in development of effective public policy regarding cat control.
Learning Objectives: Keywords: Rabies, Immunizations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: 10 years research on feline infectious diseases and feral cat control, American Association of Feline Practitioners Feline Vaccine Advisory Committee I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.
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