Rabies confirmed in 14th ferret-badger (2013/07/30)
The ferret-badger that bit a young girl in Nantou last week has been confirmed infected with rabies, though the girl is doing just fine. That makes the second recorded attack on a human by an infected ferret-badger. Another infection was confirmed in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District, meaning that as of earlier today, the epidemic had spread to six cities and counties across Taiwan.
The 9-year-old girl was bitten last weekend. Today’s report shows that the ferret-badger that attacked her is infected with rabies, bringing the total number of attacks by rabid ferret-badgers on humans to two.
Chuang Jen-hsiang Vice Director, CDC We learned last night that the ferret-badger from Ren’ai Township tested positive. We found the [victim] early this morning and immediately administered the immunoglobulin.
Another infected ferret-badger came from Meinong District of Kaohsiung, and the municipality has been added to the list of infected areas. Two more dead ferret-badgers are currently being tested, one from Yangmingshan in Taipei, and one from Alishan in Chiayi. As of earlier this evening, the number of confirmed infections stands at 14, all of which come from 12 districts and townships of six cities and counties.
An Asian house shrew found in Taitung is suspected of infection, but the test results will not be released until Wednesday. In the meantime, rabies has not yet been confirmed in any species other than ferret-badgers. The Council of Agriculture has been closely monitoring other wild animal species for signs of infection.
Chang Su-san Director, Quarantine Bureau People have found some dead animals on the side of the road, and we’ve been testing them. We hope that we can get a better grasp on the epidemic, and we have researchers actively monitoring the situation.
The Centers for Disease Control expects to complete a plan to maintain public safety by Thursday. That will investigate any people bitten by ferret-badgers in the last year and determine whether or not they need vaccinations, so as to ensure the virus does not take refuge in human bodies.
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