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Natural Resources
September 28, 2012

Newfoundland and Labrador Recognizes World Rabies Day
 

To commemorate World Rabies Day today (Friday, September 28) representatives of the Department of Natural Resources Animal Health Division are promoting rabies education and awareness with a visit to the Sheshatshiu Innu School in Sheshatshiu.

“Public education and domestic animal vaccination are critical to reducing the impact of this disease in our province, and we are proud to partner with the Sheshatshiu Innu School to better inform students about rabies prevention,” said Dr. Hugh Whitney, Chief Veterinary Officer with the Department of Natural Resources. “We thank the Sheshatshiu Band Council and the Sheshatshiu Innu School for their interest in initiating and hosting events, which include a drawing contest and classroom presentations for students.”

Students were asked to draw pictures of animals for the contest. One picture will be drawn from all those submitted with one participant winning an iPod Nano. A free rabies vaccination clinic will be held today at the Sheshatshiu Arena, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., to vaccinate dogs and cats in the community.

Rabies is an infectious disease most often spread by the bite of an animal. It appears in the fox population of Labrador in cycles with the most recent cycle being in the spring of 2012. Sixteen confirmed cases were identified in red fox in Wabush, Labrador City, Hebron, Nain and Makkovik. Public education is an important tool to make sure citizens are aware of the facts about rabies and how they can prevent infection in their own animals or themselves.

Research into the origins and movement of this disease in northern Canada has been initiated by the Department of Natural Resources, with $25,000 in funding received from the Agriculture Research Initiative. The study will look at the genetics of the rabies virus and fox populations found in northern Canada to better understand how the virus moves during these outbreaks. The territorial and provincial governments, Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Centre of Expertise for Rabies, and Memorial University are all collaborating on this project.

Additional information on rabies can be found on the Provincial Government website at www.nr.gov.nl.ca/rabies. For information on World Rabies Day please visit www.worldrabiesday.org opens new window

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Media contact:
Heather Maclean
Director of Communications
Department of Natural Resources
709-729-5282, 697-4137
heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca

2012 09 28                          9:45 a.m.

 
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