BREAKING NEWS: Rabies Infected Dog in Britain
Posted By Freelance Writers Date: 25/04 Posted Under: Dog NewsDEFRA have announced that three people have been exposed to rabies after being bitten by an infected puppy in the British quarantine system.
The dog was in a quarantine centre having traveled from Sri Lanka.
Dr Dilys Morgan, a rabies expert is quoted:
“This animal died whilst in quarantine which has effectively contained any public health risk.
“We understand that three individuals connected to the quarantine centre and rescue centre were bitten by the animal and all have received or will be receiving prompt protective treatment with appropriate vaccination.
“Even if someone has been bitten by an animal with rabies, prompt post-exposure treatment following the bite is highly effective in preventing rabies.”
LINKS:
The Scientists Trying to Win the Fight Against Rabies
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Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Dog News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Laudable as it is to help dogs from overseas, there are thousands that need help in the UK, why add to the numbers?
this incident shows just how dangerous it is to bring in dogs, they brought rabies to North London!
Are there not enough dogs that need help in the UK as it is without bringing in dogs from areas of the world where rabies is endemic?
How did three people end up getting bit, were they all from the charity or were they kennel workers?
As kind as it seems to bring in these 13 dogs, instead of putting them in to quarantine for 6 months and spending whatever it costs to bring them over here multiplied by 13, why could the money not be used to have some kind of vet clinic out on the ground in Sri Lanka to help animals?
With animal charities saying that there are 100 thousand plus dog in UK that are treated as stray dogs and a percentage is not claimed that require rehoming, why add to that number by bringing in even more dogs?
I personally feel that those well meaning souls and animal welfare charities who fetch stray dogs even from the Republic of Ireland make rehoming those strays from within the UK more difficult.
Do UK donations from supporters of animal charities in the UK go towards helping dogs from another sovereign nation, do they not have any animal welfare services or animal charities of their own in Eire or something?
Why not start bringing dogs in from USA or Australia whilst we are at it?
The reporting and comments are libellous.
Here are the facts-
The charity has not imported a single dog into the UK. It never has and not a single penny of charity funds has been used for this purpose.
The charity was founded last year for one reason -to help animals IN Sri Lanka by acquiring a base, building a veterinary clinic and conducting sterilisation/ rabies vaccination/education porogrammes.
The charity also helps poor families and their animals including the destitute Cat Lady of Colombo.
There is no animal welfare in Sri Lanka. No RSPCA. Few safe havens for animals. Dying and suffering animals are everywhere and cruelty is endemic. Pups are dumped on rubbish tips where their eyes are pecked out by crows. Dogs sustain fractured spines on the roads and maggot infested wounds. That is the reality. This charity work relentlessly to help these animals-working as volunteers 16 hours a day in their holidays from fulltime employment.
The imported pups were being sponsored and homed by individuals from their own pockets NOT Kim Cooling OR the charity as reported.
How was rabies brought to North London? The pup died locked away in Quarantine. The sole purpose of UK quarantine is rabies control. There was never a risk to the public or pets/wildlife. The pup was in fact vaccinated against rabies and had been seen by numerous vets in Sri Lanka and issued with a health certificate. She had no clinical signs and was playing happily before becoming ill and dying 48 hours later. Those who were nipped were all vaccinated against rabies. All quarantine staff are vaccinated because every animal that enters UK quarantine is a potential rabies risk. Those involved in the charity have helped 1000βs of animals in the UK. One member won rescuer of the year for re-homing over 18,000 otherwise doomed animals from death rows throughout the UK. She sterilises all the animals before re-homing.
People are very quick to condemn such sincere individuals based on a story littered with lies. Check on some of the corrections being published in the national newspapers and do not be so quick to judge others before learning facts first. WHAT A DISGRACE!