Translocated dogs from Nunavut and the spread of rabies.

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.