Beijing gets 'one dog policy' (Response to sharp rise in human rabies deaths; 2,254 over past 9 mos)

News 24 (South Africa) ^ | November 8, 2006

[Stoat]

Beijing gets 'one dog policy'
08/11/2006 19:24  - (SA)  

 

Beijing - Beijing has launched a "one dog policy" in an effort to curb a sharp rise in rabies linked to the ballooning population of unregistered canines.

"Each family is permitted to raise one dog," the government said in a statement seen on Wednesday on its website announcing the new policy.

"Large dogs, ferocious dogs and the unregulated raising of dogs are not allowed."

"Violators of the regulations will be fined up to 5 000 yuan ($640) and their pets will be taken into custody," it said, citing regulations issued this week.

Rabies has emerged as the biggest killer among infectious diseases in the country over the past five months, according to the official media.

Deaths up 26%

China's health ministry recorded 2 254 cases in humans in the first nine months of 2006, up 26% over the same period last year.

Last month China central government launched a massive national campaign to register and inoculate dogs after a series of rabies-related deaths resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of canines.

The Beijing regulations apply only to the city centre, but list wide-ranging restrictions on dogs in public places.

Rising wealth in China has led to a boom in dog ownership, but most dogs are unregistered and not inoculated due to high registration fees and costly rabies shots.

Up to 150 million dogs are estimated to be unregistered and unvaccinated in China, the China Daily reported last month, a figure that will make efforts to wipe out rabies problematic.

China already implements a "one child family planning policy" aimed at slowing the growth of its human population, which is the world's largest at 1.3 billion people.

[Stoat]

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Rabies information:

Home CDC Rabies

[meowmeow]

What if you promise to eat one? Then can you keep two?

[Stoat]

What if you promise to eat one? Then can you keep two?

I think that the Central Committee is still working on a ruling for that question......

:-)

[KarlInOhio]

Any Chinese who want to keep more than one dog will just have to have the extras evaluated by a pet psychologist and New York City will recognize them to be "cats".

[RightWhale]

That is a lot of human rabies. What did the former Conservative US have last year? Two rabies deaths?

[blues_guitarist]

Dog! It's what's for Dinner!

[Wiggins]

What if you promise to eat one? Then can you keep two?

I love Hot Dogs.

[Stoat]

That is a lot of human rabies. What did the former Conservative US have last year? Two rabies deaths?

That sounds close to what I recall, and it may even be high.  I remember hearing stories of 'suspected' rabies deaths and would need to do some research to get the exact figure.

I find this story to be, among other things, a breathtaking view of the comparative value on human life between cultures.  Here in the USA, we have in the neighborhood of 3,000 brave soldiers over the course of several years who have given their lives for their country in the just and honorable cause of liberating 25 million people and stopping the threat of worldwide Islamofascist terror, and this number of losses tears the country apart and moves massive numbers in elections over ideological differences.

In China they lose close to that many people in nine months over rabies and it means that people in downtown Beijing can only own one dog from now on.

[libstripper]

Is that an absolutely adorable Chocolate Lab puppy? I have an eight year old chocolate Weimador (half Chocolate Lab, half Weimaraner). He's one of the most loving, adorable dogs I've ever lived with.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Seems to me a "no dogs that aren't vaccinated against rabies" and "as many vaccinated dogs as you like" would be more helpful.

[GovernmentShrinker]

China loses a lot more people to mining accidents than to rabies, but somehow the government seems more interested in confiscating pets than in improving mine safety. Go figure.

[Stoat]

Seems to me a "no dogs that aren't vaccinated against rabies" and "as many vaccinated dogs as you like" would be more helpful.

Absolutely.  The article cites a high cost of canine rabies vaccinations in China as part of their rationale for this new policy, but as you say the smart route would be to make whatever changes are necessary in order to lower the cost and pursue the vaccination route (as well as other options, including the culling of feral dogs).  This is apparently more than what the Chinese want to do in order to save 3,000 lives every year.

[twhitak]

What if you promise to eat one? Then can you keep two?

Nope. If you eat your one dog, you're outta luck.

[Stoat]

China loses a lot more people to mining accidents than to rabies, but somehow the government seems more interested in confiscating pets than in improving mine safety. Go figure.

Perhaps at least part of the reason is that miners in China will typically be poor, whereas dog owners in downtown Beijing may be more well-to-do, and may also be friends of Central Committee members?  Just guessing.....

[Stoat]

Or perhaps because the Central Committee members live and work in downtown Beijing, and so this makes it safer for them to be there and without having to deal with the heat that would be generated by a nationwide ban or an aggressive vaccination program?

[Silly]

With two, you get egg roll.