Here are the excerpts of the state laws referred to in this\nchapter that are most relevant to NWCOs. This is the way the laws actually\nread. Please note: accurate at time of printing but readers should check\nfor amendments and new laws and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n
Part 2 – Section 2.14\nReporting of suspected rabid animals and persons exposed to them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n ***Action to be taken by health authority.<\/p>\n\n\n (a) Definitions:<\/p>\n\n\n 1. Health care provider shall mean any person or facility\nwhich gives primary or secondary medical care to humans.<\/p>\n\n\n 2. Exposure shall mean introduction of the rabies virus into\nthe body of a human or animal. Any penetration by mouth to the skin of humans\nor animals constitutes a bite exposure. A non-bite exposure is a scratch,\nabrasion, open wound, or contamination of mucous membranes with saliva or other\npotentially infectious material from a rabid animal.<\/p>\n\n\n 3. Domestic livestock shall mean sheep, horses, cattle,\ngoats and swine.<\/p>\n\n\n 4. Current vaccination shall mean the administration of a\nrabies vaccine suitable to the species, which meets the standards prescribed by\nthe United States Department of Agriculture for interstate sale and is administered\naccording to the manufacturer\u2019s instructions under the direction of a duly\nlicensed veterinarian not later than the expiration date on the package.\nCurrent vaccination shall begin 14 days following primary vaccination, and\ncontinue for the period stated in the manufacturer\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n 5. Approved vaccine shall mean any rabies vaccine which\nmeets the standards prescribed by the United States Department of Agriculture\nfor interstate sale.<\/p>\n\n\n (b) It shall be the duty of every health care provider to\nreport immediately to the local health authority having jurisdiction the full\nname, age, address and telephone number of any person under his care or\nobservation who has been exposed to any animal suspected by the health care\nprovider of having rabies and all pertinent facts relating to such exposure.\nSuch notification shall occur prior to starting rabies post-exposure\nprophylaxis, except in those cases where prior notification would compromise\nthe health of the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n (c) If no health care provider is in attendance and the\nperson exposed is a child, it shall be the duty of the parent or guardian to\nmake such report immediately. If the person exposed is an adult, such person\nshall himself make the report, or, if incapacitated, it shall be made by\nwhomever is caring for such person. <\/p>\n\n\n (d) It shall be the duty of every health care provider who\nhas cause to believe that contact has occurred with a rabid animal or animal\nsuspected of being rabid by the health care provider which requires rabies\nprophylaxis subsequent to the exposure to report the initiation of such\nprophylaxis and all pertinent facts relating to any such bite, exposure or\ntreatment to the local health authority.<\/p>\n\n\n (e) It shall be the duty of every person having knowledge of\nthe existence of an animal exhibiting clinical signs suggestive of rabies to\nreport immediately to the local health authority the existence of such animal,\nthe place where seen, the owner\u2019s name, if known, and the signs of infection\nsuggesting rabies.<\/p>\n\n\n (f) Whenever, in accordance with this section, the local\nhealth authority is notified of a person who has been exposed to any dog, cat,\nferret or domestic livestock, vaccinated or not, the local health authority may\ncause the animal to be confined for 10 days. Any costs associated with this\nconfinement shall be an expense of the animal\u2019s owner. Such health authority\nmay, subject to the approval of the owner, if known, cause the animal to be\ndestroyed immediately and have the animal\u2019s head submitted to a laboratory\napproved by the State Commissioner of Health for examination. The dog, cat,\nferret or domestic livestock whose ownership cannot be determined may be\nconfined for 10 days, under the direction of the local health authority. Any\ncosts associated with this confinement shall be an expense of the party seeking\nthis confinement. Confinement of the animal, in any case, shall be subject to\nsuch conditions and instructions, and under the control of such persons,\nincluding the owner if ascertainable, that the local health authority determines\nwill reasonably assure the continued confinement of the animal for the\nprescribed 10-day period. Should the confined animal develop signs of rabies\nwithin the 10-day period, it shall be destroyed under the direction of the\nlocal health authority and submitted to a laboratory approved by the State\nCommissioner of Health for examination. In the case of a dog, cat, ferret or\ndomestic livestock whose ownership cannot be determined, if confinement is not\npossible or desirable, the animal may be destroyed immediately and an\nappropriate specimen shall be submitted to a laboratory approved by the State\nCommissioner of Health for examination.<\/p>\n\n\n (1) Bats and any animal other than a dog, cat, ferret or\ndomestic livestock suspected of being rabid shall not be held for observation\nand shall be destroyed immediately, without injury to the head, and may be\nsubmitted upon approval of the local health authority to a laboratory approved\nby the State Commissioner of Health for examination.<\/p>\n\n\n (g) Except as hereinafter provided, any mammal which has\nbeen bitten by or in direct contact with a known rabid animal or animal\nsuspected by the local health authority of being rabid shall be destroyed\nunless it shall be isolated for a period of six months either in a veterinary\nhospital approved by the local health authority, or in a locked enclosure\napproved by the local health authority as being so constructed and maintained\nthat the animal cannot escape and cannot have contact with any other animal or\nhuman except, when absolutely necessary, with the person responsible for the\ncare of the confined animal. Quarantine of the animal, in any case, shall be\nsubject to such conditions and instructions, and under the control of such\npersons, including the owner if ascertainable, that the health authority\ndetermines will reasonably assure the continued quarantine of the animal for\nthe prescribed six-month period. The expense of such isolation shall be borne\nby the owner. Any animal currently vaccinated as defined in this section, prior\nto exposure, may remain at large or under the owner\u2019s immediate control as may\nbe required by local ordinance provided a booster injection of such approved\nvaccine is given within five days of the date of exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n (h) An animal under such restrictions shall not be removed\nfrom one health district into another prior to the conclusion of the prescribed\nisolation period except with the permission of the health authority from whose\ndistrict such animal is to be removed and the permission of the health\nauthority to whose jurisdiction such animal is to be transferred. The former\nshall give permission only after securing the consent of the health authority\nto whose jurisdiction the animal is to be transferred, except that if removal\nis to be to New York City or into another state, he shall give permission only\nafter securing the consent of the Commissioner of Health of the State of New\nYork. Such removal shall be by private conveyance, in charge of a responsible\nperson and conducted in such a manner as to prevent the escape of the animal d and the permission of the health\nauthority to whose jurisdiction such animal is to be transferred. The former\nshall give permission only after securing the consent of the health authority\nto whose jurisdiction the animal is to be transferred, except that if removal\nis to be to New York City or into another state, he shall give permission only\nafter securing the consent of the Commissioner of Health of the State of New\nYork. Such removal shall be by private conveyance, in charge of a responsible\nperson and conducted in such a manner as to prevent the escape of the animal or\nits coming in contact with other animals or persons.<\/p>\n\n\n (i) The local health authority shall report forthwith to the\nstate district health office or county health office having jurisdiction the\nname, age and address of every person exposed to any animal suspected of having\nrabies, any incident which requires rabies prophylaxis and all the pertinent\nfacts relating to any such bite, exposure or treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n (j) Whenever any animal that has or is suspected of having\nrabies dies, or is killed, the local health authority may, at his discretion,\ncause the head of such animal to be removed and sent immediately, properly\npacked, with a complete history of the case, to a laboratory approved for this\npurpose by the State Commissioner of Health for examination. <\/p>\n\n\n (k) Whenever the disease rabies is confirmed by the State\nWadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research (http:\/\/www.wadsworth.org\/rabies\/<\/a>)\nin a raccoon in any county of New York State, within 30 days of notice to the\ncounty of the confirmation, all cats residing in the county who are not then\nactively immunized as defined in this section must be vaccinated as outlined\nbelow. Such notice will be sent to the county\u2019s local health authority by the\nCommissioner of Health. Actively immunized shall mean injection of a rabies\nvaccine which meets the standards prescribed by the United States Department of\nAgriculture for interstate sale and administered according to the\nmanufacturer\u2019s instructions under the direction of a duly licensed\nveterinarian. All cats in the county, three months of age or over, are to be\nvaccinated to prevent rabies. This section shall not apply to cats owned by a\nnon-resident, while passing through any town, city or village for a period not\nexceeding fifteen days, if entered in any exhibition at any cat show therein,\nand if confined and in immediate charge of the exhibitor, or to cats actually\nconfined to the premises of incorporated societies, devoted to the care or\nhospital treatment of lost, strayed or homeless animals, or confined to the\npremises of public or private hospitals devoted to the treatment of sick\nanimals, or confined for the purposes of research institutions, or to cats\nactually confined to the premises of a person, firm, or corporation actually\nengaged in the business of breeding or raising cats for profit and are so\nlicensed as a class A dealer under the Federal Laboratory Animal Welfare Act,\nor if such vaccination would adversely affect the health of the cat as\ndetermined by a duly licensed veterinarian.<\/p>\n\n\n The veterinarian either administering the vaccine or\nresponsible for supervising the vaccination shall give to the owner of the cat\na signed statement. Such statement shall include the following information:\nname and address of the owner, date or dates of vaccination together with the\ntype of vaccine injected and its duration of immunity, amount and manner of\ninjection, name of manufacturer, lot number and expiration date of the vaccine.\nOr, if applicable, the veterinarian shall give the owner of the cat a signed\nstatement verifying that the cat is exempt because such vaccination would\nadversely affect the health of the cat.<\/p>\n\n\n Compulsory vaccination shall remain in effect until the\ncounty presents evidence to the Commissioner that it has been one year since\nthe last confirmed case of rabies in a terrestrial animal species.<\/p>\n\n\n Proof of rabies immunization must be shown by the owner to\nthe local health authority whenever a cat bites a person. If the owner is\nunable to show such proof, the local health authority must follow the\nprocedures outlined in subdivision (f) of this section.<\/p>\n\n\n *** See Public Health Law, Sections 2140-2146;<\/p>\n\n\n Agriculture and Markets Law, Sections 106-127.<\/p>\n\n\n CHANGED EFFECTIVE AUGUST 30, 2000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here are the excerpts of the state laws referred to in this chapter that are most relevant to NWCOs. This … Continue reading New York State Sanitary Code<\/span>