(a) It is prohibited for anyone to administer rabies vaccine to any animal unless said vaccine is licensed for use in the particular animal species in question. Exceptions to this include:
(b) Animals vaccinated per these exceptions will still be considered
as a wild animal species if involved in a bite to a person, and will be
handled according to OAC 310:599-3-4.
310:599-3-4 Management of other animals that bite a human
(a) The final decision for animal destruction, quarantine, or other
disposition of any animal other than a dog or cat that bites a person,
or otherwise potentially exposes a person to rabies shall be determined
through the Department. The decision will consider, but not be limited
to:
(b) In some situations, the Department will consider the initiative
and willingness of the individual so exposed to submit to postexposure
anti-rabies immunization after being adequately informed of all potential
risks.
(c) Any biting animal determined to be at significant risk for the transmission of rabies shall upon written order by the Commissioner of Health, or a specifically designated representative, be humanely killed and the brain tissue submitted to the State Department of Health Laboratory for rabies testing.
(d) The Department has the authority to order the quarantine of an animal,
determined to be a very low risk for the transmission of rabies, for a
thirty (30) day observation period as an alternate method to euthanasia
and testing.
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These emergency rules changes (and a few others that had nothing to
do with wds) were approved and signed by Governor Keating on July 18, 1997,
making them immediately effective. They were adopted permanently in Jan
or Feb of 1998. The exception allowing vaccs of wds was new and was a reversal
of prior policy. By the management section it appears conceivable that
they might consider a bite by a wd on an individual basis and not automatically
euth it for testing. Don't know ifthat situation has come up yet, though.
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