Your Zoonosis Connection Veterinary Public Health Division Volume 4, Issue 1 March 2012 612 Canino Rd., Houston, Texas 77076 Phone: 281-999-3191 Fax: 281-847-1911 Harris County Rabies Update Inside this issue: Rabies continues to be a serious health threat to people and domestic What is Veterinary 2 animals. In the United States prior to 1960, the majority of all animal cases re- Public Health ported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were seen in do- Rabies Submissions 3 mestic animals. Now more than 90% of the cases occur in wild animals. Since the 1950s, human rabies deaths have declined from more than a 100 annually Continuing Education 3 to a couple each year. This reduction in the number of human deaths associat- ed with rabies can be attributed to the implementation of rabies vaccination Zoonosis Trivia 4 laws, oral rabies vaccination programs, improved public health practices and the increased administration of post-exposure prophylaxis. Did you know? Veterinarians are In Harris County, rabies was last documented in a dog in 1979 and in a cat in uniquely qualified to 1986. However, rabies continues to be enzootic in our bat population. In address issues and 2011, 4.3% of bats submitted for testing were positive for rabies, which has de- concerns related to clined from 7.9% in 2010 (see table below). Last year, one horse and two the interactions of skunks tested positive for rabies in Harris County. The horse was infected people, animals, and with the South Central Skunk strain of rabies, which often spills over into oth- the environment. er species of wildlife and domestic animals. The continued incidence of rabies in Harris County serves as a reminder to keep pets and livestock current on rabies vaccinations. The high risk carriers in Texas are bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks. Any abnormal behaviors in these species and all potential bat exposures should be reported to the Local Rabies Control Zoonosis Staff Authority. When possible, animals in- Harris County Rabies Test Results Michael White, DVM, MS volved in potential rabies exposures Year 2010 2011 Zoonosis Veterinarian should be tested to prevent Species + - + - 713-418-1806 unnecessary post-exposure prophylaxis. Bat 78 852 21 487 [email protected] The veterinary community has a vital Bovine 0 0 0 0 Tiffany Guidry, BS Veterinary/Zoonosis role in protecting the health of our Feline 0 441 0 306 Technician community. Please continue to pro- Coyote 0 9 0 4 mote regular rabies vaccinations and 713-418-1828 educate your clients about rabies. Canine 0 546 0 473 [email protected] Equine 0 3 1 6 More information about rabies may be Fox 0 1 0 0 Websites: found at hcphes.org/vph, Raccoon 0 73 0 34 www.hcphes.org/vph countypets.com and Skunk 0 31 2 35 www.countypets.com dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/. Other 0 16 0 18 Page 2 Your Zoonosis Connection Zoonosis: any infectious disease that is transmissible from animals to humans. What is Veterinary Public Health? Veterinary public health (VPH) is defined as "the interactions. contribution to the complete physical, mental, and There are clearly three broad areas of involve- social well-being of humans through an under- ment of VPH in the practice of public standing and application of veterinary medical sci- health. First, VPH derives its roots in public ence." History records that veterinary science has health by investigating and controlling animal dis- contributed to human health for millennia, most eases that threaten either food supplies or animal recognizably through protecting food supplies and transportation and labor. Secondly, VPH has a the livestock used for draught power, transporta- critical role in controlling the transmission of zo- tion, and clothing. What is not appreciated is the onotic and food borne diseases. While these first contribution made by VPH to the management of two areas are widely recognized as traditional infectious human diseases. VPH, the third is less widely known. It utilizes the veterinarian’s knowledge of the ecological, eco- It is generally accepted that human health, animal nomic, and cultural contexts of animal diseases to health and the environment are inextricably linked develop and implement methods of promoting and that an environmental hazard or animal dis- public health that are ecologically sound, culturally ease outbreak can give rise to serious public feasible, and economically realistic. The role of the health risks with severe economic consequenc- veterinarian in the poultry industry illustrates this es. A classic example of this occurred in Wash- 3rd area of involvement by utilizing the veterinari- ington State in 2003. Within hours of the an- an’s knowledge to help reduce the negative health nouncement by the Agricultural Department that and social repercussions of poultry production, a Washington State cow had tested positive for including waste management, occupational and Mad Cow Disease, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan community health risks, implementation of farm- halted all U.S. beef imports, essentially eliminating level biosecurity and socio-economic decline for 50% of the foreign market for U.S. beef. the contract growers. One strategy to better understand and address These broad areas of involvement have given rise the contemporary health issues created by the to what are now considered “core functions” of convergence of human, animal, and environmental VPH. These core functions include: domains is the concept of One Health. Although Control of zoonotic diseases through: the concept of One Health is not new, our in- diagnosis, surveillance, epidemiology, creasing interdependence with animals and their elimination, and prevention products has spurred medical and veterinary pro- Food protection fessionals to readdress such an approach. The Management of health aspects of laboratory One Health Initiative promotes an all-inclusive animal facilities and diagnostic laboratories collaboration between physicians, osteopaths, vet- Biomedical research erinarians, dentists, nurses and other science, Health education and extension health and environmental related disciplines. Un- Production and control of biological products derstandably, VPH is an essential component of and medical devices this initiative and includes various types of cooper- ation between the disciplines that link the health Veterinary public health also has a role in man- triad - people-animals-environment - and all of its agement of wildlife population and disease, envi- Volume 4, Issue 1 Page 3 ronmental protection, public health planning and eases by enforcing Harris County animals laws, preparedness, and response to disasters including disease surveillance, and education. acts of bioterrorism. References Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to address Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health: Veterinary Public Health issues and concerns related to the interactions of http://www.answers.com/topic/veterinary-public-health people, animals, and the environment. The veteri- The World Health Organization: What is Veterinary Public Health? http://www.who.int/zoonoses/vph/en/ narian’s contribution to public health is essential to the “One Health - One Medicine” approach to AVMA: One Health — a New Professional Imperative http://www.avma.org/onehealth/executive_summary.asp addressing current and emerging health threats. Zoonotic disease risks and socio-economic impacts of industrial poul- try production: review of the experience with contract growing in the In Harris County, VPH is a division of Harris United States of America Jessica H. Leibler,1 Joachim M. Otte,2 and Ellen K. Silbergeld1 County Public Health & Environments Services http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/home/events/bangkok2007/docs/ and functions to prevent and control zoonotic dis- part2/2_6.pdf Specimen Submissions for Rabies Testing Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services Veterinary Public Health (VPH) has implemented a $60 fee for the submission of samples to the City of Houston (COH) Lab for rabies testing. This fee includes new charges imposed by the City of Houston. Please insure that animal owners referred to VPH for rabies testing are aware of this new fee. Specimens are not required to be submitted through VPH. Veterinarians may prepare and submit specimens directly to the lab. Residents of the City of Houston should be referred to BARC for sample submissions. For questions concerning submission of samples for rabies testing, please call VPH at 281-999-3191. FREE Continuing Education Opportunity Are you curious about how the government responds to emergencies? What about how to receive assistance in an emergency such as a hurricane, wildfire, flooding or a bioterrorism attack? If you answered “yes” to the above questions, this conference may be for you! Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services, Veterinary Public Health is hosting “Disaster Animal Management for Veterinarians”. Conference topics will include an introduction to emer- gency management, local, regional, state and federal responsibilities, the joint information center and a tour of TranStar. The conference is scheduled for Sunday, April 29, 2012 from 8:30- 12:30pm and will be petitioned for 4.0 continuing education hours. Breakfast and conference materials are included. You must register to attend in advance and seating is limited. For more information, check out our current events calendar at coun- typets.com or hcphes.org/vph. Zoonotic disease fact sheets are available at http://www.hcphes.org/vph/Publications/index.html. Page 4 Your Zoonosis Connection Zoonosis Trivia Test your knowledge of Zoonotic Disease Trivia by answering the following questions. The answers are listed below. 1. Which famous evolutionary biologist is purported to have died of Chagas disease? 2. What was the first reportable disease in the United States? 3. Sin Nombre is a strain of which zoonotic disease virus? 4. Name the virus that is the closest relative to the smallpox virus and is feared by scientists for its poten- tial risk as a bioweapon. Some experts think that Iraq may be using it in its biological weapons program.