Posted on: Friday, November 5, 2004
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ISLAND VOICES
It's time to put a stake in state quarantine
By Catherine Robinson
Waipahu resident and a member of the Community Quarantine Reform Coalition
Since animal rabies vaccines were developed in the late 1940s, and their reputation for safety and complete immunity from rabies was established in the '50s and '60s, the rabies quarantine program has been doomed.
Hawai'i's state vets naturally have a vested interest in preserving quarantine: It brings in money to the department; it employs people at the Halawa Quarantine Station; and it garners recognition for the state vet, allowing him to claim that Hawai'i is the only rabies-free state.
But the public is becoming increasingly better informed.
In the 1990s, a suit was filed on behalf of Americans with disabilities, specifically the blind who needed guide dogs. The lawsuit argued that the blind were deprived of their "eyes" for a minimum of 120 days even though their rabies-vaccinated animals were free of rabies. Gov. Ben Cayetano ordered the then-state veterinarian, Dr. Dewey Sturges, to prepare a research report on rabies quarantine vs. rabies vaccines.
Even though the report made clear that rabies vaccines were clearly superior to any quarantine, Sturges insisted on quarantine — even if it meant reducing the actual time here — in addition to requiring rabies vaccinations.
Advertiser library photo • Jan. 18, 1996 Why require rabies vaccinations at all if quarantine is enough and vaccines aren't necessary or "reliable," as our current state vet, Dr. James Foppoli, insists.
In early 2000, there was more public pressure, particularly because the Internet afforded even better and more up-to-date access to public information on rabies, and another lawsuit had been filed on behalf of those disabled people who relied on hearing and other therapy dogs.
Under public pressure, once again a rabies "research" report was written by our state vet, Dr. Foppoli. This time there were no up-to-date or historical data on rabies vaccines used at all. The report made all its conclusions and recommendations on the stated assumption that all dogs and cats were unvaccinated. This report was presented without allowing the public to address these or any of the glaring errors and omissions.
This report resulted in the new "5-Day or Less" rabies quarantine program signed into law by the new governor over the protests of informed citizens on June 30, 2003.
Now all the quarantine programs — there are six of them, including three for government/military dogs, other working and service dogs brought in for the state government, and for performing animals, besides the 120-day, 30-day and the 5-day for ordinary pets and blind and other service dogs — require rabies vaccinations, microchip ID and blood testing. It's a matter of when the blood testing is done and when the animal arrives at Honolulu International Airport that determines which quarantine program the animal will be "eligible" for.
What does our state vet have to lose by scrapping all the quarantine programs, except a 180-day quarantine for unvaccinated animals? After all, Hawai'i will still retain its "only state in the Union that is rabies-free" status.
Vaccines render rabies quarantine unnecessary. Artificial government jobs at the quarantine station would cease to exist. The huge and largely empty Halawa Quarantine Station would have to be bulldozed. And a piece of Hawai'i's history would be relegated to where it belongs with other primitive medical procedures — to the history books.
Please urge our governor and our Department of Agriculture to eliminate animal quarantine and institute a vaccine-based rabies-prevention program. It would include a single rabies vaccination, recorded on a certificate and tied to a microchip ID. No blood test, no Mainland wait. It's proven safe for over 50 years and is far more effective than quarantine. It would be less costly both for incoming dog and cat owners — including residents traveling with their pets or service dogs — and for taxpayers.
In 1997, the 30-day quarantine with 90-day Mainland wait, along with a minimum of two rabies vaccinations, a blood test and microchipping, was initiated. The old 120-day quarantine was "updated" to also require rabies vaccinations, either before the animal arrived here or after arrival at the quarantine station.
Steven the Cat makes a play for freedom from the state quarantine station in Halawa.
