North American rabies management plan signed by U.S., Mexico and Canada

Washington

-- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) signed a collaborative rabies management plan with Canadian and Mexican authorities Oct. 3.

The first North American Rabies Management Plan was signed at the XIX International Conference on Rabies in the Americas in Atlanta, Ga., just days after the second annual World Rabies Day was celebrated Sept. 28.

The plan involves the efforts of representatives from each country in the fields of agriculture, public health and wildlife management, and aims to strengthen cooperation between the North American neighbors. It is the culmination of three years of work by the CDC, APHIS's wildlife services program, and the Canadian and Mexican governments to establish long-term wildlife rabies management goals. The plan calls for annual meetings to share information about vaccines, wildlife management, population control and surveillance techniques.

For more information about the program, visit the CDC's Web site..