<div class="chunk-title">Sec. 5-7. - Rabies vaccination and control.</div>
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            <p class="incr0">
               (a)
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            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Vaccination required.</span> Should it be deemed necessary by the county health director, the board of county
               commissioners or the state public health veterinarian that other animals be vaccinated
               in order to prevent or control an epidemic, a potential epidemic, an existing epidemic
               or other communicable conditions dangerous to or threatening the health or welfare
               of persons or animals in the county, it shall be unlawful for an owner to fail to
               provide current, necessary inoculations as directed against rabies or other communicable
               diseases or conditions.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (b)
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            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Bite cases; duty to report.</span> Every dog, cat, or ferret which has bitten anyone or which shows symptoms of rabies
               shall be confined immediately and shall be reported immediately to animal services
               by its owners or persons having charge of the animal. Health care providers, hospitals,
               and veterinarians are required to notify local health jurisdictions of animal bites
               to humans. The purpose of reporting is to assure appropriate rabies prevention measures
               are initiated after a bite, including observation of healthy dogs, cats, and ferrets;
               laboratory testing of wild animals; wound care and appropriate rabies post-exposure
               prophylaxis (PEP).
               </p>
            		
            <p class="p0">
               Thereupon, the animal shall be securely quarantined at the direction of the support
               services division commander for a period of not less than ten days and shall not be
               released from such quarantine except by written permission from the support services
               division commander. If the dog, cat, or ferret becomes sick during the ten-day period,
               the dog, cat, or ferret shall be examined by a licensed veterinarian at the expense
               of the owner. The biting animal, and its record of vaccination and registration, if
               any, shall be inspected by an animal services officer, who shall observe the following
               procedure:
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (1)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  A properly vaccinated and licensed animal may be securely quarantined and confined
                  on the owner's premises if an animal services officer determines that the owner has
                  an adequate means of confinement and quarantine upon his own premises, that the animal
                  is being properly and adequately confined and quarantined on the owner's premises,
                  and the animal is subject to observation by animal services at any time during the
                  ten-day quarantine period. The owner has 72 hours to present to the officer proof
                  of vaccination and license. If valid proof is not presented within 72 hours, the animal
                  services officer shall seize the animal and confine it at a veterinary hospital, in
                  a kennel approved by animal services at the expense of the owner to complete the quarantine
                  or confinement period. The animal shall not be vaccinated prior to or during quarantine
                  and confinement.
                  </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (2)
                  </p>
               		
               <p class="content2">
                  Any animal not properly vaccinated or licensed shall immediately be quarantined and
                  confined in a veterinary hospital, in a kennel approved by animal services at the
                  expense of the owner for the ten-day quarantine period. The animal shall not be vaccinated
                  prior to or during quarantine and confinement.
                  </p>
               		
               
               <p class="incr1">
                  (3)
                  </p>
               		
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                  Any stray animal shall immediately be quarantined and confined in the county animal
                  shelter for a ten-day period, or sacrificed, and the head examined for rabies.
                  </p>
               		
               
            <p class="incr0">
               (c)
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            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Surrender for quarantine required on demand.</span> Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, it shall be unlawful for the
               owner to refuse to release upon demand, after an investigation by animal services
               any animal which has bitten a human or other warm-blooded animal for the purpose of
               quarantine, the expense of which shall be borne by the owner. If rabies does not develop
               within ten days, the animal may be reclaimed upon payment of the current fee schedule
               adopted by the board of health and upon compliance with other provisions of this chapter.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (d)
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            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Rabies diagnosed.</span> If any animal dies while under observation for rabies, that animal's head shall be
               submitted to the county health department and the state laboratory of hygiene for
               analysis.
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            <p class="incr0">
               (e)
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            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Emergency quarantine and procedure.</span>
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr1">
               (1)
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            <p class="content2">
               When reports indicate a positive diagnosis of rabies, the county director of public
               health shall order an areawide quarantine for such period as deemed necessary; and
               upon the invoking of such emergency quarantine by the health director, no animal capable
               of contracting rabies shall be at large or not strictly restrained during such period
               except for treatment at the office of a licensed veterinarian. During such quarantine,
               no animal may be taken or shipped from the county without written permission of the
               health director, and each member of animal services, police and sheriff's department
               is fully authorized during such emergency to impound or follow the procedures in G.S.
               130A-195 in handling any animal found running at large in the county.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr1">
               (2)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content2">
               During the quarantine period, the health director shall be empowered to provide for
               a program of mass immunization by the establishment of temporary emergency rabies
               vaccination clinics strategically located throughout the county. No animal which has
               been impounded by reason of its being a stray, unclaimed by its owner, shall be allowed
               to be adopted from the animal shelter during the period of emergency rabies quarantine
               except by special authorization of the county health director.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (f)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Destruction of animals bitten by rabid animal.</span> Animals without a current rabies vaccination that are bitten by a known rabid animal
               shall be immediately destroyed unless the owner agrees to strict isolation of the
               animal at the animal shelter or at a veterinary hospital for a period of six months;
               or if the animal has a current rabies inoculation, it shall be revaccinated immediately.
               Any currently rabies vaccinated animal that is not revaccinated within five days of
               exposure shall be handled as an unvaccinated animal.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (g)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Extension of quarantine.</span> If there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine,
               such period of quarantine may be extended at the discretion of the county health director.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (h)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Killing or releasing animals under observation prohibited; penalty.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person to kill or release any animal under observation
               or quarantine for rabies, any animal suspected or having been exposed to rabies, or
               any animal having bitten a human or other warm-blooded animal, or to remove such animal
               from the county without written permission from the county health director. Any violation
               of this section shall be subject to those penalties prescribed by <a href="" data-chunk-id="COOR_CH5AN_ARTIINGE_S5-23VIMI" class="section-link" data-product-id="11337">section 5-23</a>.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (i)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Surrender of carcass for examinations.</span> The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall be surrendered to the animal
               services division. The head of such animal shall be submitted to the county health
               department and the state laboratory of hygiene for analysis.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="incr0">
               (j)
               </p>
            		
            <p class="content1">
               <span class="ital">Failure to surrender carcass prohibited.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person to fail or refuse to surrender any animal for
               quarantine or destruction as required in this section when demand is made by animal
               services division.
               </p>
            		
            <p class="historynote0">
               (Code 1978, Â§ 3-7; Ord. of 12-20-2010, Â§Â§ 12â€”14; Ord. of 3-12-2012)
               </p>
            <p class="refstatelaw0" block_type="hang"><b>State Law referenceâ€” </b>
               Rabies quarantine, G.S. 130A-185 et seq., G.S. 130A-194 et seq.; confinement of all
               biting dogs and cats, G.S. 130A-196; confinement, G.S. 130A-198; infected dogs and
               cats to be destroyed, G.S. 130A-197; rabid animals to be destroyed, G.S. 130A-199.
               </p></div>