Published Date: 2011-09-09 21:38:32
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies - China (04): (Shanghai), canine, human
Archive Number: 20110909.2752

RABIES - CHINA (04): (SHANGHAI), CANINE, HUMAN
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Fri 9 Sep 2011
Source: China Daily [edited]
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-09/09/content_13654350.htm


Rabies deaths on the rise in Shanghai
-------------------------------------
Rabies killed 6 people in the city in the 1st 8 months of the year
[2011], while in the same period last year only one person was
infected by this deadly virus. Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease
Control and Prevention on Thursday [8 Sep 2011]called on citizens to
raise their awareness of the health risks resulting from dog bites.

The disease center treated more than 40 000 people for dog bites in
the 1st half of this year, 40 percent more than in the same period
last year [2010], said Leng Guangming, a spokesman for the center.
Most of the dog bites occurred in suburban areas, and the majority of
the dogs were strays or unlicensed animals. Some 85 percent of the
people bitten were not registered residents of Shanghai, and most of
them were injured on their hands, feet, faces or noses, according to
statistics from Punan Hospital.

Jenny Sun, a volunteer with I-dog-I-cat, a group dedicated to rescuing
stray animals in Shanghai, said many dog owners tend to let their dogs
run around unleashed in the suburbs. In one case last Sunday [4 Sep
2011], a stray dog bit 16 people and then died. The victims included a
6-year-old boy, who was squatting and playing with another child when
the yellow dog bit him on the face. Local police found the body of the
dog on Monday morning [5 Sep 2011], and said it could have been beaten
to death by people angry over the dog's attacks, according to the
Shanghai-based newspaper Labor Daily.

Although volunteers have launched campaigns to persuade people in
suburbs to change their behavior with animals and tie up their dogs,
Jenny Sun said they have found it very difficult to change people's
habits. In addition, in suburban communities where a large number of
underprivileged people reside,few dogs have been registered or
vaccinated, even though the licensing fee for pet dogs in Shanghai has
been dropped by 60 percent following the revised dog administration
regulation passed in May [2011].

"The government should coordinate vaccination injections for dogs in
these communities at a lower price to make it more acceptable," Jenny
Sun said. She suggested you should not put out your hands to touch an
unfamiliar dog. At present, the municipal police usually send dog
catchers to take away stray dogs if people report them through the 110
service line. Groups such as I-dog-I-cat can also help to find homes
for stray dogs, she said.

Experts said dogs infected by the rabies virus may not show any
symptoms, and will still be able to pass it on to human by bites.
Bites near the human head are more likely to cause serious infection,
according to information from the disease center. The virus can stay
dormant in the human body for 6 months. Doctors suggest people bitten
by dogs get immediate treatment and have vaccination shots
[post-exposure prophylaxis] as soon as possible after receiving a
bite.

[Byline: Zhang Kun]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[It is tragic that a disease controllable by deployment of reliable
animal and human vaccines is continuing to spread in a highly
developed community. The problems to be overcome appear to be both
economic and social, and are being addressed constructively by the
local authorities. Hopefully they will bear fruit sooner rather than
later.

Shanghai is one of the largest cities by population (more than 23
million) in the People's Republic of China, and the world. The city is
located on the coast in eastern China. The city is administratively
equal to a province and is divided into 17 county-level divisions: 16
districts and one county. It can be located in the maps at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai. - Mod.CP]

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