The Agriculture Ministry will now allow for some dogs and cats that have bitten humans or other animals to fulfill their mandatory quarantine periods at home, the ministry announced on Tuesday.The Rabies Ordinance requires that any animal that has bitten a person or another animal be quarantined by its owner within 24 hours of the bite occurrence, according to the ministry. The purpose of this ordinance is to examine whether the animal shows any clinical signs of rabies, which is a fatal and incurable disease, the ministry said.
Maintaining both human and animal health are both important, and the Agriculture MInistry therefore decided that healthy and vaccinated animals needing quarantine will be able to sleep in their family homes, rather than in Veterinary Services observation, the ministry said.
In the case that a human fears he or she may have come into contact with rabies through a bite, the person may take a series of vaccinations to prevent the development of the disease, the ministry stressed.