Europe Wide Rabies Alert by the European Commission

Please crosspost to other forums

The European Commission has issued an EU wide Rabies Alert after a dog was found carrying the deadly disease in south west France, where hundreds of thousands of tourists have spent their summer holidays.

The EU executive took the rare step of warning all EU governments to ensure that recently-returned holiday makers were aware of the case, in particular anyone who visited some local festivals in the Bordeaux, Dordogne, Gironde, Lot, and Garonne regions.

The 4mth old dog was imported illegally from Morocco on July 11th. The EU state that the dog was infectious from August 2-21st

Authorities are looking for a French couple of North African origin and their two children and for a Spanish woman and her young daughter who were seen walking with a small white dog In Bordeaux around August 10-11th. The rabid dog owner frequently walk the animal in this area.

The dog owner now faces upto two years in prison and a fine of 15,00 euros for importing a dog illegally.

I heard they cancelled a big dog competition because of this too. Scary Was France a rabies free country like England?

I think so Babs.

Yikes! :smt009

Since 1977 19 cases of human rabies has been reported in France. All of those infected contracted the disease abroad.

To my knowledge the only countries which are Rabies free, are the UK, Australia and New Zealand, probably because they're Islands.

libs

Singapore is rabies free too...as is Ireland (ahem!)....but again, they are islands....

For more info
http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/artic...828_rabies.htm

theres even a picture of the poor dog

Poor thing