Title:
Notice of Proposed Adoption of Revised Board of Health Rules Governing the Control of Rabies and Zoonoses
Summary
ACTION:
Instruct the Clerk to the Board to publish a notice of proposed adoption of revised Board of Health Rules Governing the Control of Rabies and Zoonoses to be considered by the Board on June 18, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. or as soon as the agenda permits
Staff Contact: Gibbie Harris, MSPH, BSN, Health Director
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
In May 1999, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the current Mecklenburg County Rabies and Zoonoses Ordinance. The Ordinance, as then adopted, followed the statutory requirements in place at the time. Since that time the state has revised the guidelines for handling rabies cases.
Until recently, the research strongly suggested the need for euthanasia or six-month quarantine for animals that were exposed to rabies but never vaccinated or exposed but were overdue for vaccination. There were strict requirements as to what procedure had to be followed. Recent guidance from the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) has recommended changes to the prior protocol for handling post exposure rabies cases. The guidance from NASPHV was published in March 2016 and provided new information on how public health officials should manage exposure for dogs, cats and ferrets. This revised NASPHV guidance recommends a complex approach that differentiates between animals that have been vaccinated versus those that are overdue.
In 2017 the General Assembly revised the statutes that govern post exposure management under S.L.2017-106 and removed all the language that previously required euthanasia or quarantine. The law now refers directly to the NASPHV guidance. In light of the statutory changes, the NC Division of Public Health sent health department directors a memorandum recommending they adopt the NASPHV guidance.
The County's current Ordinance is not consistent with ...
Click here for full text