Letter: Britain is free of rabies because of its quarantine laws
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.YOUR editorial, ''Mad dogs and Englishmen'' (20 November) which favours the quiet acceptance of relaxed rabies regulations, is misguided. By your own statement, ''nobody has died of rabies contracted in Britain for nearly a century'', although ''every couple of years someone dies of it in a British hospital after being bitten abroad''. Surely this implies that British regulations have been wonderfully effective in preventing home infection and that efforts to ameliorate them should be strongly resisted. You concede, albeit grudgingly, that infection nearly always leads to horrific death but there is no ''nearly'' about it. Once symptoms appear it is fatal. No confirmed case has ever recovered.
However, probably of greater importance to many pet owners is the fact that relaxation of restrictions will be expensive and inconvenient. It is likely that all dogs and cats will have to be identified by electronic tags under the skin, licenced and vaccinated every year. People who are short of money will attempt to bypass the regulations and sooner or later the disease will arrive.
I have no knowledge of the official policy but it is possible that animals in certain areas will then have to be kept housebound or chained, strays will be rounded up and many destroyed. Wildlife will suffer and may have to be eradicated in certain areas. Oral vaccine in bait may be needed for wild predators, with increased rates or taxes to cover the administrative costs. The added demands on our already strained police and state veterinary services require no elaboration.
Leonard Black
Veterinary surgeon
Guildford, Surrey
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments