Red fox. Courtesy National Park Service.
Canada:
Labrador 01/21/12 Wabush: Officials have confirmed a case of rabies in a red fox. This is the first case of the virus confirmed in Labrador since 2005. See http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=20212&latest=1
Ontario 01/20/12 Oakville: St. Joseph Catholic elementary school on lockdown after eight-year-old girl bitten by coyote. See http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1119125–oakville-girl-attacked-by-coyote?bn=1
British Columbia 01/22/12 terracestandard.com: by Margaret Speirs — Horse owners are being warned to get their steeds vaccinated against West Nile Virus after a horse in Prince George was diagnosed with the deadly disease. Prince George veterinarian Christine Murdoch recently faxed vets in the region saying that antibodies to the virus had 
been found in a horse that hadn’t been vaccinated against West Nile. It’s likely just a matter of time before the disease is found here; it crossed the Rocky Mountains and was found in Kamloops last year and now Prince George, said local vet Dr. David Farkvam. “The scary thing is it causes [death] and the horses that survive often have neurological conditions and have to be put to sleep,” he said. Horses should be vaccinated for West Nile in the spring, he said. Infected horses might walk oddly, walk in a circle, become wobbly on their back legs and do abnormal things like head pressing, he said.
Colorado 01/19/12 Colorado Springs, El Paso County: State officials confirm a mountain lion killed an 85-pound black Labrador dog in the Red Rock Valley neighborhood southwest of Colorado Springs. See http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30256488/detail.html
South Carolina 01/19/12 Lyman, Spartanburg County: A woman is being treated for rabies after being bitten by a stray cat that tested positive for the virus. She was bitten on her foot when the cat tried run into her house. See http://www.wyff4.com/news/30250853/detail.html
West Virginia 01/21/12 Princeton, Mercer County: A raccoon killed by dogs has tested positive for rabies. See http://bdtonline.com/local/x431305294/MCHD-reports-second-Mercer-County-ra
CDC REPORTS:
CDC MMWR Summary for Week ending January 7, 2012:
Published January 13, 2012/ 61(01); ND-1-ND15
Ehrlichiosis . . . 1 . . . Missouri,
Giardiasis . . . 67 . . . Alabama, Alaska (2), California (17), Florida (7), Idaho, Iowa (2), Maryland (3), Missouri (3), Nebraska (2), New York (2), Ohio (12), Oregon (3), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Vermont, Virginia (3), Wisconsin (4),
Hansen Disease (Leprosy) . . . 1 . . . New York,
Lyme Disease . . . 70. . . Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida (3), Idaho, Maryland (8), New Jersey (37), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (15), Virginia (2),
Rabies (Animal) . . . 6. . . Florida (2), Maine (3), New York,
Spotted Fever (Confirmed) . . . 1. . . Indiana,
Spotted Fever (Probable) . . . 5 . . . Florida (2), Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
ANNOUNCEMENT
7th International Conference on Tularemia
1912-2012
100th Anniversary of first isolation of Francisella tularensis
September 17-20, 2012
Beaver Run Resort, Breckenridge, Colorado
The Tularemia International Society (TULISOC) in conjunction with the International Organizing Committee, invite you to attend the 7th International Conference on Tularemia. The conference will be held September 17-20, 2012 at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge is a Victorian mining town and popular ski resort located in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 9600 feet (2926 m) above sea level.
The International conference on Tularemia occurs every three years and was last held in Berlin, Germany in 2009. The objective of the conference is to bring together scientists worldwide studying pathogenesis, cell biology, genomics, proteomics, animal models, diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, clinical features, ecology, epidemiology and host response to Francisella. The meeting will be comprised of keynote speakers, invited oral presentations, oral presentations selected from abstracts, moderated discussions, poster presentations, and plentiful opportunities for attendee conversation. 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of the first isolation of Francisella tularensis in Tulare County, California. To commemorate this anniversary, this meeting will feature a session highlighting the major discoveries in F. tularensis research over a century.
Participants should plan on arriving in time for an opening session on the morning of Monday, September 17th, 2012 and departing after the closing session mid-afternoon Thursday, September 20th, 2012. There will be a conference banquet the evening of Wednesday, September 19th.
