Section 7 AAC 27.022 - Rabies vaccination and quarantine(a) The standards for animal rabies vaccination are the following: (1) the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2011, prepared by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. as amended from time to time is adopted by reference to govern the use of animal rabies vaccines; (2) the rabies vaccination certificate developed by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. is adopted as the only valid rabies vaccination certificate; these certificates are available from the division; computer generated certificates may be used if they contain all of the information required in the certificate developed by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. and the certificate is signed by a licensed veterinarian or lay vaccinator approved by the department;(3) rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets is required in accordance with schedules in the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2011, as adopted by reference in (1) of this subsection; evidence of such a vaccination is to be recorded on the rabies vaccination certificate specified in (2) of this subsection; at the time of vaccination, the owner or keeper of a vaccinated dog must be given a metal tag bearing a number and the year of the vaccination as it is recorded on the rabies vaccination certificate; the owner or keeper of a dog must affix the tag to a collar or harness that must be worn by the dog for which the certificate is issued, except that the dog need not wear the tag while harnessed in a dog team or while participating in organized training or competition; (4) a rabies vaccination is valid only when performed by or under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian or by a lay vaccinator approved by the department as qualified to administer the vaccine and for whom the department determines, in its discretion, that approval is in the best interests of the state in carrying out the purposes of this section and 7 AAC 27.030; the availability of a licensed veterinarian does not of itself preclude this approval;(5) sale of rabies vaccine to any person or entity other than a veterinarian licensed in this state, veterinary biologic supply firm, or public agency is prohibited; (6) any dog, cat, or ferret not vaccinated in compliance with this subsection may be confiscated and either vaccinated or euthanized; owners of confiscated animals are subject to payment of costs of confiscation, boarding, and vaccination, as well as any other penalties established by a municipality under AS 29.35.(b) An order for quarantine for the purpose of preventing the spread of rabies will contain a warning to the owners of animals within the quarantined area to confine on the owner's premises or tie down all animals so as to prevent biting; after such an order is issued, any animal found running at large in the quarantined area or known to have been removed from or to have escaped from the area may be destroyed by a peace officer or by a person designated by the department.(c) The standards for impounding or euthanizing animals that may be rabid are the following: (1) a dog, cat, or ferret vaccinated or rabies in accordance with (a)(3) of this section that bites an individual must be placed under observation for 10 days, except that a clinically ill or stray animal that does so may be euthanized immediately and submitted to the department or to a laboratory designated by it for rabies testing;(2) a dog, cat, or ferret not vaccinated for rabies in accordance with (a)(3) of this section that bites an individual may be euthanized immediately and submitted to the department or to a laboratory designated by it for rabies testing;(3) a bat or a free-ranging carnivorous wild animal that bites an individual must be euthanized immediately and submitted to the department or to a laboratory designated by the department for rabies testing;(4) an unvaccinated dog, cat, or ferret bitten by a known or suspected rabid animal may be euthanized immediately; if the bitten animal has a current rabies vaccination, as defined in the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2011, adopted by reference in (a)(1) of this section, the animal must be immediately revaccinated and confined a minimum of 45 days; (5) a prior rabies vaccination of an animal does not preclude the necessity for euthanasia and testing if the vaccine was not administered in accordance with its label specifications or the vaccine is not licensed for that species.Eff. 12/29/2006, Register 180; am 12/29/2013, Register 208, January 2014The Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2011, is available from the section of epidemiology, division of public health, Department of Health and Social Services, State of Alaska, 3601 C Street, Suite 540, Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Authority:AS 18.05.010
AS 18.05.040
AS 18.15.355
AS 44.62.245
AS 47.05.012