A case of canine rabies was confirmed today in the Loire department

On Thursday, May 21, 2015, the Pasteur Institute confirmed a case of rabies in a bull terrier pedigree dog kept at Square Louis Huguet in the town of Chambon-Feugerolles (Loire). The prefecture is seeking to identify any people or animals that came into contact with this dog between May 7 and May 16, inclusive.   The bull terrier carrying the rabies virus died during the night of May 17–18, 2015, after biting a person close to the owner and a neighbor’s dog . Three other people close to the owner had contact with the infected animal, according to the epidemiological investigation conducted by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) and the Rhône-Alpes Regional Health Agency (ARS). They were immediately referred to the rabies treatment center at Saint-Étienne’s Hôpital Nord. Furthermore, investigations conducted by government agencies revealed that this dog had illegally traveled through areas not free of rabies before entering French territory. Additional tests are underway to determine the geographic origin of the rabies virus in question. Pending these results, a prefectoral order restricts, for six months starting May 7, the movement of all domestic carnivores that are not properly vaccinated against rabies or are unidentified, within an area that includes part of the municipality of Chambon-Feugerolles. Within this restricted area, the initial vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets is prohibited. Dogs that are not properly vaccinated may only be walked if they are kept on a leash and muzzled, and they must not leave this area. Similarly, unvaccinated cats must be kept indoors or transported in a closed carrier. If a domestic carnivore shows any clinical signs of rabies, its owner is required to take it immediately to an accredited veterinarian, who will then conduct an epidemiological investigation. Depending on the results, the animal will be returned to its owner, kept under observation, or euthanized. If the animal is brought in dead, the samples necessary for a rabies diagnosis will be sent by the veterinarian to an approved laboratory and the DDPP will be notified. Similarly, the discovery of any animal carcass within the designated area must be reported. The Loire Prefecture asks anyone who may have been bitten, scratched, nicked, or licked by this bull terrier between May 7 and 16, 2015, as well as anyone whose pet may have come into contact with it, to call the emergency number set up: 04 77 48 48 48. These individuals must receive prompt, preventive treatment for rabies, which remains a fatal disease for humans if left untreated after exposure or once clinical signs appear .