Recipient Organization
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
200 WESTBORO ROAD
N. GRAFTON,MA 01536
Performing Department
ENVIRONMENTAL & POPULATION HEALTH
Non Technical Summary
The Cape Cod Oral Rabies Vaccination Program was established in 1993. The original goal of the project was to prevent the spread of rabies onto Cape Cod. For 10 years, we were successful in keeping raccoon rabies off Cape Cod despite epizootic challenge. In March of 2004 a breach in the vaccine barrier to Cape Cod was identified. Wildlife Disease Surveillance Project: in order to strengthen the capabilities of the state of Massachusetts to guard the public health by monitoring, detection and response to animal disease outbreaks, it is necessary to increase the vigilance for zoonotic threats associated with agricultural, pet or wild animals. The goal will be to reduce the prevalence of rabies and, over the longer term, eradicate rabies from Cape Cod. Continuation of the Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) Program at this stage has several long-term benefits for public health in Massachusetts and the rest of the US. Massachusetts has the nations' longest continuously running
ORV project. The rabies vaccination program is an example of efficient and effective cooperation of local, state, private and federal agencies working together for the benefit of the public health and animal health. Wildlife Disease Surveillance Project: Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TCSVM) shall develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), protocols, inter-agency networks, and other tools to implement a program to conduct background monitoring of disease in domestic and wild animals.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TCSVM) established The Cape Cod Oral Rabies Vaccination Program (CCORVP) in 1993, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and USDA Wildlife Services. The original goal of the project was to prevent the spread of rabies onto Cape Cod. For 10 years, from the first vaccine distribution in May 1994 to March 2004, we were successful in keeping raccoon rabies off Cape Cod despite epizootic challenge. We also succeeded in achieving the highest vaccination rates in raccoons for any vaccine program in the country. In March of 2004 a breach in the vaccine barrier to Cape Cod was identified, due to many factors including the possible role of skunks in the transmission cycle of raccoon rabies. Response to this initial breach in the vaccine barrier was rapid, and included many multi-agency coordinated actions. The Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) project
will continue to assess the various factors involved in the breach of the vaccine barrier and the effectiveness of the initial response, in order to better prevent future barrier weakness, and to formulate the best response strategies. Our goals in Phase I - response to the breach - are to 1) reduce to zero rabies cases in all effected Cape Cod towns, and 2) maintain a vaccinated area for at least 2 years beyond the detection of the last rabies case in the area. Rabies eradication has been defined as zero cases occurring for 2 years in an area. The goals of Phase II - reestablishment of a mainland vaccination barrier to maintain a rabies-free Cape Cod - are 1) establish a barrier to the spread of rabies to Cape Cod by creating an area of vaccinated raccoons, adjacent to the Canal, 2) stop vaccinating areas on Cape Cod in stages as the barrier on the mainland expands (target of 3 years after last rabies case for complete withdrawal of vaccine distribution from the Cape), and 3) rabies
eradication in 10 mile radius on mainland side of Cape Cod canal. The goals of Phase III - expansion of a mainland vaccination barrier to eradicate rabies in adjacent towns - are 1) advance rabies vaccination zone into rabies enzootic areas by adding 10 miles in width to a 30 mile wide vaccine zone each year, 2) stop vaccinating areas on trailing edge of vaccine zone (ideally 10 miles per year). In Phase IV - eradication of rabies statewide - the goal is to keep advancing vaccination zone until all of Massachusetts is rabies free. Wildlife Disease Surveillance Project: In addition, in order to strengthen the capabilities of the state of Massachusetts to guard the public health by monitoring, detection and response to animal disease outbreaks, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TCSVM) shall develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), protocols, inter-agency networks, and other tools to implement a program to conduct background monitoring of disease in domestic and wild
animals. The project has three phases: developing the sampling and handling protocols, obtaining clinical and necropsy samples, and reassessing the protocols after the initial sampling efforts.
Project Methods
With the goals of reducing the numbers of rabies cases and, over the longer term, eradicating rabies from Cape Cod, we will use the following tools: rabies vaccine baiting of wildlife, enhanced disease surveillance of wildlife(see attached addendum), improved program partner coordination and communication, risk communication and public education, emergency response planning. 1. At least one vaccine distribution (in the fall) and preferably two distributions over as large an area of Cape Cod as possible, given bait purchase constraints. Recent improvements in vaccine packaging will be tested for impact on vaccination rates and rabies case incidence 2. Coordination of activities of towns, county government, and volunteers for both vaccine distribution, and rabies surveillance. Wildlife Disease Surveillance Project: We will initially focus on syndromes and infectious diseases as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Bureau of Communicable Disease
Control (BCDC), Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Bureau of Animal Health (BAH), and Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (DFAW) for the purpose of increasing vigilance for zoonotic threats to the public associated with agricultural, pet or wild animals in Massachusetts. We will develop protocols for serosurveillance and banking of samples from targeted species, collection and analysis of data on unusual animal deaths, and strengthening the infrastructure to support MDPH, MDAR and the response to zoonotic disease threats of the veterinary community in Massachusetts. During development of the protocols, efforts will be made to identify and establish communication with agencies and groups in Massachusetts that should be involved in various aspects of monitoring, surveillance and response to animal diseases. This will include veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators, animal control agents, the academic community, state agencies, local boards of health, and others.
Protocols will be developed in conjunction with the appropriate state agencies. As the SOPs are developed, a pilot sampling program utilizing the Wildlife clinic at TCSVM and other sample sources will be initiated allowing the protocols to be tested and refined. We will work with TCSVM hospitals and state agencies to do surveillance, microbiological sampling, and necropsy of wildlife and domestic animals. These efforts will have two goals: to help develop and test the new protocols and SOPs, and to begin gathering background data on target syndromes and diseases.