Tag Archives: rabies

Recent headlines about Hantavirus have understandably made many people anxious. There are several reasons for the concern. First, there is no treatment for the virus, and infection carries a high mortality rate. Second, after living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all a bit more on edge with reports of emerging viruses. Finally, Hantavirus has been relatively unknown until recently, when it was implicated in the death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman’s wife and now to illnesses aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. As a veterinarian, I thought it would be helpful to explain what Hantavirus is, how it spreads and whether pet owners should be concerned about their dogs and cats.

Since the holidays are nearly over, many of you might be thinking about a winter getaway to some place with better weather than where you celebrated the holidays. If that getaway includes a road trip with your favorite furperson riding shotgun, today’s blogpost is an essential read to ensure the safety of both you and your pet.

On September 28th, we celebrate the 102nd birthday of Louis Pasteur by honoring his pioneering work in developing a vaccine against rabies. The anniversary of his birth has been designated World Rabies Day in remembrance of Dr. Pasteur and the millions of lives he continues to save with the rabies vaccine.

Vaccine hesitancy is a relatively recent phenomenon. In 1955, when Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine became available, the public’s reaction differed greatly from the response to the COVID-19 vaccine release sixty-six years later. There was a good deal of vaccine hesitancy in 2021 that was not evident in 1955. Vaccine hesitancy is now spilling over into veterinary medicine.

World Rabies Day is September 28th. Canine rabies was a major topic for veterinarians in 2021 due to a canine travel ban issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)