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PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 29th 10, 07:58 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Exclamation PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert

PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert -- Pennsylvania pet owners have initiated an effort to get a rabies medical exemption clause inserted into the Pennsylvania Rabies Code. Below is a copy of the letter I have faxed to the Pennsylvania State Veterinarian and below that is a copy of Pennsylvania resident Jennifer Shipley's letter.

What You Can Do to Help

Contact your legislator and ask them to file a rabies medical exemption bill on your behalf. You can find your legislators' contact information at this link http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ , and please ask everyone you know who may concerned about this issue to do the same. E-mails for the entire Pennsylvania Assembly are listed at the bottom of this message.

PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO CROSS-POST

June 29, 2010

Dr. Craig E. Shultz
State Veterinarian
Department of Agriculture
2301 N. Cameron Street, Room 410
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Medical Exemption Clause for Pennsylvania’s Rabies Prevention and Control Code

Greetings Dr. Shultz:

On behalf of The Rabies Challenge Fund and the Pennsylvania pet owners who have contacted us requesting assistance, we respectfully request that you, in your capacity as State Veterinarian, initiate medical exemption legislation waiving the rabies immunization requirement in Chapter 16, Subchapter C., §16.43 of the Pennsylvania Code for the small number of animals whose veterinarians have determined their medical conditions preclude vaccination.

The states of Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin all have medical exemption clauses for sick animals in their rabies immunization laws, and a bill is currently pending in the California legislature to include a waiver in their statutes.

The labels on rabies vaccines state that they are for “the vaccination of healthy cats, dogs…,” and there are medical conditions for which vaccination can jeopardize the life or well-being of an animal. A medical exemption clause would allow Pennsylvania veterinarians to write waivers for animals whose medical conditions (such as those with cancer, kidney/liver failure, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, grand mal seizures, and chronic autoimmune disorders) would be exacerbated by rabies vaccination. The State of Maine inserted such an exemption into their 3 year rabies protocol, 7 M.R.S.A., Sec. 3922(3), which became effective in April 2005 -- not one rabid dog has been reported in the more than 5 years since that date. Colorado’s data reflect the same -- there have been no rabid dogs reported in the state since passage of their medical exemption clause in July 2008.

Maine’s exemption language is as follows:

A. A letter of exemption from vaccination may be submitted for licensure, if a medical reason exists that precludes the vaccination of the dog. Qualifying letters must be in the form of a written statement, signed by a licensed veterinarian, that includes a description of the dog, and the medical reason that precludes vaccination. If the medical reason is temporary, the letter shall indicate a time of expiration of the exemption.

B. A dog exempted under the provisions of paragraph 5 A, above, shall be considered unvaccinated, for the purposes of 10-144 C.M.R. Ch.251, Section 7(B)(1), (Rules Governing Rabies Management) in the case of said dog’s exposure to a confirmed or suspect rabid animal.

The Rabies Challenge Fund strongly urges you to request legislation be submitted on behalf of the Department of Agriculture amending Chapter 16, Subchapter C., §16.43 of the Pennsylvania Code to include medical exemption language for unhealthy animals for which rabies vaccination would compromise their well-being.

Sincerely,

Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org


cc: Dr. W. Jean Dodds
Dr. Ronald Schultz
Pennsylvania General Assembly

LETTER from Pennsylvania resident, Jennifer Shipley:

June 28, 2010

Stewart J. Greenleaf
Senate Box 203012
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3012

Dear Senator Greenleaf:

Legislation is needed to provide an exemption from rabies vaccination for pets with existing medical conditions.

My Border Collie, Fever, has idiopathic epilepsy along with other chronic, serious and immune related health conditions. Her veterinarian, Dr. Barrie Barr, DVM of Harmony Animal Health Care Clinic, feels strongly that further rabies vaccinations would potentially pose serious risk to her health. I have a letter written by Dr. Barr to that effect.

In conversation with a friend who lives in New Jersey who owns a dog related to my own with the same medical condition, I learned that her dog’s veterinarian fills out an exemption form annually. The form protects her dog’s life by legally exempting him from rabies vaccination upon examination of a veterinarian who has determined that it would be “medically contraindicated to vaccinate this animal due to an infirmity, other physical condition, or regimen of therapy.” [Attachment “B”]

The manufacturers as well as the USDA state the vaccines should be given to healthy cats and dogs.

My dogs are a cherished and extremely valuable part of my life. Those of us in Pennsylvania who own dogs consider them important member of our families. No dog owner in PA should be forced by our state to risk their dog’s life if a veterinarian has determined that a vaccination would jeopardize their health. Thirteen other states have medical exemption clauses in their rabies laws, would you please introduce legislation on my behalf that would put a medical exemption clause into our state law?

For more detailed information regarding this issue, please see the following additional exhibits:

Attachment C: Specific manufacturer information regarding vaccines
Attachment D: Vaccine reactions and duration of immunity

I have more information available if you need it. I would be more then happy to speak to you via telephone, email or meet with you in person. You’re help in this cause is desperately needed. Thank you for your attention and efforts in advance.

Best regards,

Jen Shipley


Cc: Hon. Katharine M. Watson, Governor Edward G. Rendell, Chase & Jen Utley
  #3  
Old June 30th 10, 12:40 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Stan Brown
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 211
Default PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert

On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:58:10 +0000, Kris L. Christine wrote:
PENNSYLVANIA: RABIES MEDICAL EXEMPTION ACTION ALERT[/b] --
PENNSYLVANIA PET OWNERS


I refuse to read this when you're shouting at me.


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...
  #4  
Old July 2nd 10, 12:36 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Default

The Legislative Secretary for Reprepsentative Vulokovich informed me on June 30th that she forwarded my letter to the Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee for review.
__________________
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
  #5  
Old July 2nd 10, 03:35 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
kraut[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 117
Default PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert

On Fri, 2 Jul 2010 11:36:11 +0000, Kris L. Christine
wrote:


The Legislative Secretary for Reprepsentative Vulokovich informed me on
June 30th that she forwarded my letter to the Agriculture & Rural
Affairs Committee for review.



Letter for what?

If you include orig post it gives readers an idea what is being talked
about.

  #6  
Old July 3rd 10, 01:39 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Default

The medical exemption letter from The Rabies Challenge Fund is the first post on this page under the action alert.
__________________
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
  #7  
Old July 6th 10, 06:42 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
MLB[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,298
Default PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert

Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:58:10 +0000, Kris L. Christine wrote:
PENNSYLVANIA: RABIES MEDICAL EXEMPTION ACTION ALERT[/b] --
PENNSYLVANIA PET OWNERS


I refuse to read this when you're shouting at me.



I would like to know why capital letters have to be considered shouting.
I find them much easier to read and I am sure others do too. Not
everyone has perfect eyesight as you should know. MLB
  #8  
Old December 16th 10, 02:51 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Exclamation

PENNSYLVANIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Action Alert -- Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf will reintroduce SB 1454 http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/...r=1454&pn=2164 in an effort to get a rabies medical exemption clause inserted into the Pennsylvania Rabies Code in the January session.

What You Can Do to Help

Contact your legislators immediately and ask them to co-sponsor and support this rabies medical exemption bill. You can find your legislators' contact information at this link http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ , and please ask every pet owner you know who may concerned about this to do the same. If no other legislator is willing to Co-Sponsor this bill, it will fail.

PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO CROSS-POST
__________________
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
  #9  
Old February 1st 11, 10:42 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Exclamation

PENNSYLVANIA Rabies Medical Exemption Bill SB 90 http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/...pe=B&BN=00 90 introduced by Senator Greenleaf is before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Please contact members below asking them to vote to pass this bill.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST

Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Agriculture Committee


Senator Elder Vogel, Chair (717) 787-3076
Senator Michael Waugh, Vice-Chair (717) 787-3817

Senator Lisa Boscola (717) 787-4236

Senator Joseph Scarnati (717) 787-7084

Senator Mike Brubaker (717) 787-4420

Senator John Eichelberger (717) 787-5490

Senator Robert Robbins (717) 787-1322

Senator Gene Yaw (717) 787-3280

Senator Andrew Dinniman (717) 787-5709

Senator Shirley Kitchen (717) 787-6735

Senator Timothy Solobay (717) 787-1463
  #10  
Old January 25th 13, 04:17 PM
Kris L. Christine Kris L. Christine is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by CatBanter: Mar 2009
Location: The Rabies Challenge Fund
Posts: 107
Exclamation

PENNSYLVANIA Rabies Medical Exemption Bill SB 155 (January 2013)
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/...r=0155&pn=0107 has been introduced for a 3rd time by Senator Greenleaf & has been referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee (link to Senator Greenleaf's memo reintroducing this bill http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/...sponId= 9832).

What You Can Do to Help

Please contact members below asking them to vote to pass this bill, SB 155, for dogs and cats determined by a veterinarian to be too ill to be vaccinated.

PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST

Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Agriculture Committee


Senator Elder Vogel, Chair (717) 787-3076
Senator Michael Waugh, Vice-Chair (717) 787-3817

Senator Judith L. Schwank, Minority Chair (717) 787-8925

Senator David G. Argall (717) 787-2637

Senator Joseph Scarnati (717) 787-7084

Senator Mike Brubaker (717) 787-4420

Senator Robert Robbins (717) 787-1322

Senator Gene Yaw (717) 787-3280

Senator Andrew Dinniman (717) 787-5709

Senator Shirley Kitchen (717) 787-6735

Senator Timothy Solobay (717) 787-1463


The Rabies Challenge Fund Letter to Pennsylvania State Veterinarian

June 29, 2010

Dr. Craig E. Shultz
State Veterinarian
Department of Agriculture
2301 N. Cameron Street, Room 410
Harrisburg, PA 17110

Medical Exemption Clause for Pennsylvania’s Rabies Prevention and Control Code

Greetings Dr. Shultz:

On behalf of The Rabies Challenge Fund and the Pennsylvania pet owners who have contacted us requesting assistance, we respectfully request that you, in your capacity as State Veterinarian, initiate medical exemption legislation waiving the rabies immunization requirement in Chapter 16, Subchapter C., §16.43 of the Pennsylvania Code for the small number of animals whose veterinarians have determined their medical conditions preclude vaccination.

The states of Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin all have medical exemption clauses for sick animals in their rabies immunization laws, and a bill is currently pending in the California legislature to include a waiver in their statutes.

The labels on rabies vaccines state that they are for “the vaccination of healthy cats, dogs…,” and there are medical conditions for which vaccination can jeopardize the life or well-being of an animal. A medical exemption clause would allow Pennsylvania veterinarians to write waivers for animals whose medical conditions (such as those with cancer, kidney/liver failure, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, grand mal seizures, and chronic autoimmune disorders) would be exacerbated by rabies vaccination. The State of Maine inserted such an exemption into their 3 year rabies protocol, 7 M.R.S.A., Sec. 3922(3), which became effective in April 2005 -- not one rabid dog has been reported in the more than 5 years since that date. Colorado’s data reflect the same -- there have been no rabid dogs reported in the state since passage of their medical exemption clause in July 2008.

Maine’s exemption language is as follows:

A. A letter of exemption from vaccination may be submitted for licensure, if a medical reason exists that precludes the vaccination of the dog. Qualifying letters must be in the form of a written statement, signed by a licensed veterinarian, that includes a description of the dog, and the medical reason that precludes vaccination. If the medical reason is temporary, the letter shall indicate a time of expiration of the exemption.

B. A dog exempted under the provisions of paragraph 5 A, above, shall be considered unvaccinated, for the purposes of 10-144 C.M.R. Ch.251, Section 7(B)(1), (Rules Governing Rabies Management) in the case of said dog’s exposure to a confirmed or suspect rabid animal.

The Rabies Challenge Fund strongly urges you to request legislation be submitted on behalf of the Department of Agriculture amending Chapter 16, Subchapter C., §16.43 of the Pennsylvania Code to include medical exemption language for unhealthy animals for which rabies vaccination would compromise their well-being.

Sincerely,

Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
http://www.RabiesChallengeFund.org


cc: Dr. W. Jean Dodds
Dr. Ronald Schultz
Pennsylvania General Assembly
 




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