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Election 2005
A Virginia State map illustrating in red those counties reporting cat rabies in 2003-2006 is attached. Counties with multiple reports and certain non-reporting counties adjoining those shown in red may have undetected cases of rabies. Should HB339 become law, pet rabies is expected to increase markedly in these areas.
For Immediate Release
March 23, 2006
General Assembly Plays With Loaded Gun, Risks Rabies Crisis
HB339 Dog Owner Database, passed by a divided Virginia General Assembly and currently on Governor Tim Kaine's desk, will substantially increase the risk of rabies exposure to the state's citizens. "While the greater public health danger is an unintended consequence, there's little doubt that some legislators are playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun," said Bob Kane, president of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association. "I only hope that Governor Kaine listens to the hundreds of pet owners, veterinarians, physicians, livestock owners and other citizens that have urged him to veto this ill-considered bill. Rabies is a terrible, fatal disease that is endemic to every Virginia county. This bill is a true threat to all."
HB339, introduced by Delegate Bobby Orrock of Caroline County, requires that for the first time veterinarians giving rabies vaccinations to dogs directly provide local officials with detailed owner and animal information. That information must be made publicly available. Insurance companies that routinely "breed profile" to eliminate policy holders owning various breeds will have a ready database to research, as will various commercial interests, activists and others seeking dog owners' private data. There is no way to "opt-out" of this privacy invasion, except to not vaccinate animals against rabies. California law makes the public release of such information a crime, while Florida and Texas legislatures rejected similar bills. HB339 is the first-in-the-nation bill to so dramatically infringe on pet owner privacy.
Currently Virginia law requires all dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies. Dog licensing is also universally required, while eleven jurisdictions license cats. Most dogs receive rabies shots, a requirement for licensing. Feline vaccination data is sparse. Feline rabies, in Virginia and nationally, far surpasses that of any other domestic animal. Reports compiled by the Virginia Department of Health document approximately 500 cases of rabies annually, most of them associated with raccoons and other wildlife. In the years 2003-2005, there were six (6) times more cat rabies cases than those involving dogs. These reports involved some of Virginia's largest forty-nine (49) counties and cities. See attached list.
Children and adults are far more likely to come into close contact with a infected dog or cat than with a rabid raccoon or skunk, making pet vaccination critically important. The last state rabies fatality occurred in Fairfax County in 2003. The most recent, widely-publicized rabid cat bite hospitalized a Rockbridge County man who was delivering "meals-on-wheels." Several years ago, the state issued a nationwide alert warning visitors that might have bitten by a rabid cat in a Fairfax County Park. Many, many more bite incidents and rabies treatments don't receive such publicity.
Kane concluded, "This bill makes absolutely no sense. It's bad public health and animal control policy. The government shouldn't be discouraging rabies vaccinations, as it's clearly doing here. The cat rabies data is overwhelming. If the governor doesn't veto HB339, he, the bill's patron and supporters will be responsible for a serious increase in canine rabies. This isn't theoretical. It's a given."
For additional information, contact Bob Kane at 540-543-2312
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The Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association is a statewide volunteer group of sporting, hound and mixed breed dog owners dedicated to advancing and protecting the Old Dominion's hunting traditions. For more information about VHDOA, call (540) 543-2312 or visit http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/index.html
For Immediate Release
March 23, 2006
General Assembly Plays With Loaded Gun, Risks Rabies Crisis
HB339 Dog Owner Database, passed by a divided Virginia General Assembly and currently on Governor Tim Kaine's desk, will substantially increase the risk of rabies exposure to the state's citizens. "While the greater public health danger is an unintended consequence, there's little doubt that some legislators are playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun," said Bob Kane, president of the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association. "I only hope that Governor Kaine listens to the hundreds of pet owners, veterinarians, physicians, livestock owners and other citizens that have urged him to veto this ill-considered bill. Rabies is a terrible, fatal disease that is endemic to every Virginia county. This bill is a true threat to all."
HB339, introduced by Delegate Bobby Orrock of Caroline County, requires that for the first time veterinarians giving rabies vaccinations to dogs directly provide local officials with detailed owner and animal information. That information must be made publicly available. Insurance companies that routinely "breed profile" to eliminate policy holders owning various breeds will have a ready database to research, as will various commercial interests, activists and others seeking dog owners' private data. There is no way to "opt-out" of this privacy invasion, except to not vaccinate animals against rabies. California law makes the public release of such information a crime, while Florida and Texas legislatures rejected similar bills. HB339 is the first-in-the-nation bill to so dramatically infringe on pet owner privacy.
Currently Virginia law requires all dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies. Dog licensing is also universally required, while eleven jurisdictions license cats. Most dogs receive rabies shots, a requirement for licensing. Feline vaccination data is sparse. Feline rabies, in Virginia and nationally, far surpasses that of any other domestic animal. Reports compiled by the Virginia Department of Health document approximately 500 cases of rabies annually, most of them associated with raccoons and other wildlife. In the years 2003-2005, there were six (6) times more cat rabies cases than those involving dogs. These reports involved some of Virginia's largest forty-nine (49) counties and cities. See attached list.
Children and adults are far more likely to come into close contact with a infected dog or cat than with a rabid raccoon or skunk, making pet vaccination critically important. The last state rabies fatality occurred in Fairfax County in 2003. The most recent, widely-publicized rabid cat bite hospitalized a Rockbridge County man who was delivering "meals-on-wheels." Several years ago, the state issued a nationwide alert warning visitors that might have bitten by a rabid cat in a Fairfax County Park. Many, many more bite incidents and rabies treatments don't receive such publicity.
Kane concluded, "This bill makes absolutely no sense. It's bad public health and animal control policy. The government shouldn't be discouraging rabies vaccinations, as it's clearly doing here. The cat rabies data is overwhelming. If the governor doesn't veto HB339, he, the bill's patron and supporters will be responsible for a serious increase in canine rabies. This isn't theoretical. It's a given."
For additional information, contact Bob Kane at 540-543-2312
~~~~~~~~~
The Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association is a statewide volunteer group of sporting, hound and mixed breed dog owners dedicated to advancing and protecting the Old Dominion's hunting traditions. For more information about VHDOA, call (540) 543-2312 or visit http://vhdoa.uplandbirddog.com/index.html
Copyright © 2006 VHDOA