Rabies confirmed in the Netherlands
The OIE has announced that a case of rabies has been detected in the Netherlands and comprehensive isolation countermeasures have already been put in place. The information was reported to the OIE by Dr Christianne Bruschke, Chief Veterinary Officer at the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture.
The animal involved was an eight and a half week old puppy that first entered the Netherlands on February 11th 2012. It was originally from Morocco and entered Europe through the European Community Border with Morocco in Spain. The first signs of rabies were detected on February 12th when the animal started displaying a change in behaviour to aggression. A direct immunofluorescence test and a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) have confirmed the presence of rabies.
The infected animal was euthanized on February 15th. Another dog and two cats that had minimal contact with the puppy have been vaccinated as a precaution and have been placed in quarantine for six months. Humans who were in contact with the dog while the excretion of the rabies virus in the form of saliva was a risk are in the care of the Netherlands health services. Anti-rabies treatment has been administered when deemed appropriate.
This is the first case of rabies in the Netherlands since 1988. Although it is believed that the current outbreak has been completely contained and no further cases have been detected, the incident has highlighted the importance of ensuring complete compliance with the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme and continued vigilance.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
