Section 22-B203. RABIES AND ANIMAL BITES

 

203.1A veterinarian or other person who has reason to suspect any of the following shall report that fact immediately by telephone to the Director, and shall immediately follow the telephone report with a written report to the Director:

 

(a)A dog or other animal is suffering with rabies;

 

(b) A dog or other animal has been bitten by or exposed to a dog or other animal suffering with rabies; or

 

(c) A person with a potential rabies exposure as a result of having been bitten or exposed to a dog or other animal.

 

203.2A report of an event described in § 203.1 made to a member of the Metropolitan Police Department, the D.C. Department of Health Animal Services Animal Care and Control Field Services Division, or a privately owned veterinary hospital or clinic, shall be communicated immediately by telephone to the Director and shall immediately be followed with a written report to the Director.

 

203.3The report required by § 203.1 shall contain the following information in addition to any information required by § 202.9:

 

(a) The name, contact information, and the place of residence of the person owning or harboring the dog or other animal;

 

(b) The place where the dog or other animal can be found; and

 

(c) The dog license number and rabies license number, if any.

 

203.4When the Director has reason to believe that a dog or other animal is rabid, or has been bitten by a suspected rabid animal, or has bitten a person or exposed a person to rabies, the Director shall notify the owner or possessor of the exposed dog or other animal.

 

203.5After receiving notification from the Director as required by § 203.4, the owner or possessor of the animal that was bitten by another animal shall quarantine it on his or her premises, or, if the Director deems necessary, at a place the Director designates at the expense of the owner or possessor.  The length of quarantine for the animal that was bitten (“bitten animal”) shall be determined based on information available about the animal that initiated the bite (“biting animal”), according to the following criteria:

 

(a) The location of the biting animal is known and the biting animal is not  displaying signs of rabies:

 

(1) If the biting animal is proven to be up-to-date in its rabies vaccination, then neither the biting animal nor the bitten animal need to be quarantined; or

 

(2) If the biting animal is not proven to be up-to-date in its rabies vaccination, it shall be quarantined for ten (10) days. The quarantine period for the bitten animal shall be forty-five (45) days when the bitten animal is proven to have received at least one (1) rabies vaccination, or shall be at least four (4) months when the bitten animal has no proof of rabies vaccination but is vaccinated within ninety-six (96) hours of the potential exposure. The quarantine period for the bitten animal may be discontinued at the discretion of the Director if the biting animal does not display signs of rabies virus disease after completing the ten (10) day quarantine period;

 

(b) The location of the biting animal is known and the biting animal is  displaying signs of rabies:

 

(1) The quarantine period for the bitten animal shall be forty-five (45) days when the bitten animal is proven to be up-to-date in its rabies vaccination, provided it is also vaccinated within ninety-six (96) hours after the exposure. The quarantine period for the bitten animal may be discontinued if the biting animal is proven to not have rabies through a diagnostic laboratory test; or

 

(2) The quarantine period for the bitten animal shall be four (4) months when the bitten animal has no proof of rabies vaccination, provided the animal is vaccinated within 96 hours of the exposure. If the bitten animal is vaccinated more than 96 hours after exposure, the quarantine shall be extended to six (6) months. The quarantine period for the bitten animal may be discontinued if the biting animal is proven to not have rabies virus disease through a diagnostic laboratory test;

 

(c)The location of the biting animal is unknown:

 

(1) The quarantine period for the bitten animal shall be forty-five (45) days when the bitten animal is proven to have received at least one (1) rabies vaccination, provided that the animal is vaccinated for rabies on the first day of the quarantine period; or

 

(2) The quarantine period for the bitten animal shall be at least four (4) and no more than six (6) months (depending on the nature of the potential exposure as determined by the referring veterinarian and the Department of Health) when the bitten animal has no proof of rabies vaccination, provided that the animal is vaccinated for rabies during the final month of the quarantine period.

 

203.6A person who has been bitten by a dog or other domestic animal shall initiate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis based on the vaccination history and disease state of the biting animal and the recommendation of the Director.  After receiving notification from the Director under § 203.4, the owner or possessor of the biting animal shall quarantine the animal for ten (10) days, regardless of the rabies vaccination status, on his or her premises, or, if the Director deems necessary, at a place the Director designates at the owner or possessor’s expense. During this period, the biting animal shall not be vaccinated for rabies. 

 

203.7A health care provider with a patient who presents for a bite or exposure to a potentially rabid animal shall immediately initiate rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.  The provider may discontinue treatment only when a rabies test on the biting animal is negative, or the animal is proven adequately vaccinated.

 

203.8A person who captures wildlife that has bitten a person or animal, or caused a potential rabies exposure to a person or animal, shall bring the captured animal to the Animal Care and Control Agency for immediate euthanasia.  The Animal Care and Control Agency shall submit tissue samples of the animal to the Department of Forensic Sciences for rabies testing.

 

203.9A person holding an animal for quarantine under this section shall make the animal available for observation and examination by a licensed veterinarian or an official appointed by the Director, to determine the presence of symptoms of rabies on the first and last days of a quarantine period, at the person’s expense.  An animal under quarantine that exhibits clinical signs of rabies  during the quarantine period shall be transported to the Animal Care and Control Agency for humane euthanasia.  The Animal Care and Control Agency shall submit tissue samples of the animal to the Department of Forensic Sciences for rabies testing.

 

203.10A person holding a quarantined animal shall not release, remove from the District, or otherwise dispose of the animal during the quarantine period.  If the animal dies during the quarantine period, the person holding the animal shall notify and make the entire animal available to the Animal Care and Control Agency for examination, testing, and ultimate disposal.

 

authority

Section 1 of An Act to authorize the Commissioners of the District of Columbia to make regulations to prevent and control the spread of communicable and preventable diseases ("Act"), approved August 11, 1939 (53 Stat. 1408, ch. 601, § 1; D.C. Official Code § 7-131 (2012 Repl.)), and § 2 of Mayor's Order 98-141, dated August 20, 1998.

source

Commissioners’ Order 61-1117 (June 20, 1961), published as Health Regulations at §§ 8-5:101-205; as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 63 DCR 15116 (December 9, 2016).