Rabies, Vaccinations and Dog Records

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Mie Prefectural Government Notice: Rabies, Vaccinations and Dog Records

Rabies is a disease prevalent in most countries around the world and is caused by the Rabies Virus. It can affect many species, not just dogs, and passes from infected animals to humans through saliva. It is a very serious disease which has an almost 100% mortality rate once symptoms appear

Despite advances in current medical technology the disease remains largely untreatable. Each year approximately 55,000 people across the world die after contracting the disease, mostly in Asia and Africa. In Japan there have been no recorded instances of rabies in animals since 1957 but as the movements of people and animals across the globe increases there is also an increased chance that rabies may return to Japan. In order to prevent an outbreak of rabies in Japan, we require you to do two things.

First, please vaccinate your dogs against rabies. Many people are under the impression that they do not need to vaccinate against rabies because there has not been an outbreak in Japan for more than fifty years. However, there is no guarantee that it will not return. It makes no difference whether you keep your pet indoors or not, we ask all dog owners to protect their dogs and vaccinate them against rabies.

Second, in the case of an outbreak of rabies, it is necessary for the government to know who owns a dog and details about animals in the prefecture. To help us with this we ask you to keep a Dog Record. Please keep one record for each dog; you are obligated under the Rabies Prevention Law to vaccinate your dog each year against rabies. Not vaccinating your pet is punishable by law. Vaccinations for your pet can be received throughout April in Mie Prefecture at your local veterinarian centre or at organized general vaccination sessions in a town or city near you. You can obtain a Dog Record at your local municipal office.

The dates and locations of local general vaccination sessions can be obtained from your local government information publication. Please enquire to your local government for more information.