Translocated dogs from Nunavut and the spread of rabies

Abstract

Background: Investigations of rabid animals that cross provincial/territorial boundaries are resource intensive and complex because of their multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral nature.Objective: To describe the multi-jurisdictional responses to two unrelated rabid puppies originating from Nunavut.Methods: A descriptive summary of the investigations following the identification of a rabid puppy in Alberta (August 2013) and another in Saskatchewan (December 2014).Results: These investigations involved public health and agriculture authorities in five provinces/territories, as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). In Alberta, a puppy who became ill after being transported by air from Nunavut was euthanized and diagnosed with rabies (Arctic fox variant). Eighteen individuals were assessed for exposure to rabies; nine received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (RPEP). An exposed household dog that tested negative was electively euthanized. In Nunavut, the rabid puppy's mother and litter mates were placed under quarantine. In Saskatchewan, another puppy became ill during transit by air from Nunavut. It was subsequently euthanized and diagnosed with rabies (Arctic fox variant). Two of three Saskatchewan individuals, including a veterinary technician, received RPEP. Two Nova Scotia residents were exposed to the puppy while in Nunavut and received RPEP. One household dog received booster vaccination, was quarantined for 45 days and remained asymptomatic. In Nunavut, the rabid puppy's mother and litter mates were not identified. In both cases, exposure to an Arctic fox was the probable source of rabies in the puppies. Conclusion:Translocation of dogs from the north where Arctic fox rabies is endemic poses a risk to human and animal health and may negatively impact control of rabies in Canada. There is currently no national framework to prevent inter-jurisdictional movement of potentially rabid animals in Canada.

Rabies control in North America – past, present and future

“…The movement of infected wildlife (139,140), and spillover and host-switching events (24, 82, 141) (though rare), also present risks for the emergence of RABV variants in new areas and species. Similarly, the potential expansion of host ranges due to climate change and other factors raises concerns for the spread of existing enzootics, such as the predicted expansion of the vampire bat range within Mexico and possibly into the southern USA (142,143).…”

Rabies management structures and challenges in the North in a One Health framework

“…The comment from a Canadian respondent, ” … it used to be a lot more collaborative … .over the past years [the federal agencies] have cut back a lot of their support to the province and territories” (respondent 10), points to the recently reduced CFIA involvement in regional rabies management efforts [ 16 ]. The comment, “There could be a little bit better coordination there with the local level, but, um, you know, we’re, we’re trying” (respondent 15) exemplifies a challenge identified by a U.S. respondent, while the comment, “I think we have some of the most continuous and frequent interactions with the state public health vets for probably any disease … ” (respondent 11), emphasises that especially in rabies management in the United States the cooperation works well across scales.…”

“…While all respondents from the United States assigned rule-making authority to the state level with some additional regulation at the local level, respondents from the NWT and especially Svalbard had more mixed understandings of the scale of government with the primary rule-making authority and responsibility. This uncertainty among rabies managers in the NWT can be partially explained by a transfer of some responsibility within the last decade [ 16 ]. In Svalbard the special administrative structure of the archipelago is likely responsible for this uncertainty.…”

Lyssaviruses and the Fatal Encephalitic Disease Rabies

“…North America alone is endemic for multiple terrestrial RABV variants, each being resultant of a host shift event (77). While host shift events may be geographically restricted, the potential for the translocation of the virus through human means remains a distinct possibility and risk (78)(79)(80)(81). For example, the largest epizootic in recorded history resulted from the human-mediated translocation of a raccoon from the south-east of the United States to the north-eastern states (82).…”