1 / 15

A Cluster of Rabid Skunks in Vancouver

A Cluster of Rabid Skunks in Vancouver. Patricia Daly MD, FRCPC Vancouver Coastal Health. Outline. Describe a cluster of rabid skunks in Vancouver Outline the public health response Discussion. Rabies in BC. Rabies in enzootic only in bats in BC 4-10% of bats tested annually have rabies

erv
Download Presentation

A Cluster of Rabid Skunks in Vancouver

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. A Cluster of Rabid Skunks in Vancouver Patricia Daly MD, FRCPC Vancouver Coastal Health

  2. Outline • Describe a cluster of rabid skunks in Vancouver • Outline the public health response • Discussion

  3. Rabies in BC • Rabies in enzootic only in bats in BC • 4-10% of bats tested annually have rabies • Testing after human exposure • Estimated prevalence 1% in the wild • Other rabid animals in BC very rare: • 3 cats 1992/93 • 1 horse decades ago

  4. Report of Rabid Skunk • May 25, 2004: • Report from CFIA of skunk submitted from Stanley Park on May 13 – rabies positive, strain not yet known • Found “catatonic” – euthanized by wildlife services, sent for testing • Report of skunk in similar state April 9, 2004 - not sent for testing

  5. Initial Response • Press release May 25: • Members of the public or their pets with contact with either skunk to come forward • Advise pets to remain on leash in the park • Avoid contact with wildlife in the Park, report dead or sick animals

  6. Meeting with Stanley Park Wildlife Services • 2 ill skunks found in same area of the Park (Lost Lagoon), both young • 10-15 dead animals per week found, 1-4 sent for necrospy/rabies testing • Wildlife staff not vaccinated against rabies

  7. What Strain of Rabies? • May 28, 2004: Bat-variant strain • Assumption: Skunk had bat contact • Questions: • Could the skunk be infectious? • Can bat-variant rabies circulate among skunks?

  8. Outbreak of Bat-Variant Rabies Among Skunks in Flagstaff, Arizona • 19 rabid skunks Jan-July 2001, throughout Flagstaff • Variant: Western E. fuscus bats • Remarkably homologous genetically • Virus found in salivary glands • Conclusion: Skunk-to-skunk transmission

  9. Public Health Action • Second positive skunk reported June 9, same area of Stanley Park • Press release • Change in RPEP policy: • RPEP for any bat, skunk or raccoon bite in Stanley Park until further notice • Outside of Stanley Park: RPEP only routinely given for bat exposures

  10. Public Health Action • Discussion with CFIA, Stanley Park Wildlife Services • More active testing skunks/raccoons in Stanley Park • Piloting of traps for skunks • Trigger point for further action: 5 or more rabid skunks in the Park

  11. Further Action • Vaccinating of wildlife services, CFIA staff • SPCA program to provide free vaccine to pets of the homeless • Many reports of raccoon bites followed up

  12. Further Developments…. • 2 more rabid skunks found in the Park for a total of 4 • Date range: May 13-June 19, 2004 • All young (<1 year old skunks) • All in Lost Lagoon area • All bat-variant rabies

  13. Stanley Park Tests June-Sept/04 • 24 skunks – 4 positive • 7 skunks outside the Park – all negative • 9 raccoons – all negative • 1 bat – negative • 9 bats outside the Park – 1 positive • 2 squirrels – negative

  14. Summary • 4 skunks infected with bat-variant rabies found in Stanley Park May-June 2004 • Common bat exposure? • Transmission among skunks?

  15. Lessons Learned • Public Health Recommendations: • Routine rabies vaccination for wildlife workers • Routine pet vaccination • Avoid contact with wildlife • Surveillance for rabies in wildlife?

More Related