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A ProMED-mail post
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: Mon 1 Jun 2009
Source: China View [edited]
Rabies has killed 8 people and left 2 people suspected of being
infected in hospital in Shaanxi Province since March 2009, the local
government said Monday [1 Jun 2009]. The outbreak of rabies has
spread to 11 counties in Hanzhong City since March, where 5523 people
were injured by dogs, said Qin Mingxian, director with the city's
agricultural bureau. The 1st death occurred on 21 Mar [2009], and the
2 people suspected of being infected were being treated in a
county-level hospital, he said at a press conference.
The city, with more than 370 000 registered dogs, reported 35
[human?] deaths of the disease from 1985 to 1992. The outbreak was
spreading at unprecedented speed, said Qin.
The city carried out a rabies prevention campaign from 23 May - 1 Jun
[2009], implementing door-to-door compulsory vaccinations of dogs and
urging dog owners to put their pets on a leash or keep them off the
streets. So far, more than 240 000 pet dogs had been vaccinated.
Human deaths indicated the rabies virus was very active, posing a
great public health threat, said Shi Ruihua, chief of the bureau's
stock breeding department. The city authorities would work out
measures to improve administration of pet dogs, he said.
[Byline: Deng Shasha, editor]
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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Dan Silver
[Rabies continues to pop up sporadically in various parts of eastern
China. This is the latest outbreak, and illustrates the need to
maintain the canine population immune through consistent vaccination
programs. One hopes that the aggressive dog vaccination effort
carried out over the past 2 weeks is successful in eliminating the
rabies risk in the city, and is extended to rural areas as well.
Hanzhong is located in the southwest of Shaanxi Province. An
interactive map showing the location of Shaanxi province in
east-central China can be accessed at
- Mod.TY]
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