It is not a question of if – but when – rabies will come to Sweden, according to the dog protection association Hundstallet and veterinarians who Caliber in P1 have talked to.
The reason is the increasing number of smuggled dogs entering Sweden. The documentation for the dogs is often falsified and the background unclear.
– For every dog that is smuggled in, the chance that we get rabies here also increases, says Emelie Pettersson, assistant state veterinarian at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, SVA, to TV4 Nyheterna.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease that can also affect humans. In the 19th century, the disease was eradicated from Sweden – but now risks coming back with smuggled dogs from other parts of the world where the disease is still present.
Now several veterinarians are warning that the risk of rabies in Sweden is increasing, as the number of smuggled dogs entering the country is also increasing. Among other things, the public is asked to avoid petting unknown dogs.
The dog protection association Hundstallet has started the initiative “Worth waiting for” to draw attention to the problem of dog smuggling.
“The veterinarians we work with clearly highlight that it is not a question of if, but when, rabies will enter Sweden. At Hundstallet we meet more and more dogs that may be smuggled and as much as EVERY FOURTH dog we take in has an unclear background,” writes Johnny Kroneld, communications and fundraising manager for the association, about the initiative in a message to TV4 Nyheterna.
Can end up at home with families
The disease is notifiable and veterinarians must report when they come across a suspicion of rabies. But it is not enough that it is clearly a smuggled dog or that the documentation is falsified. It is required that the dog shows symptoms of rabies or comes unvaccinated directly from an area severely affected by rabies.
Veterinarians’ duty of confidentiality means that they cannot report the disease to the authorities unless there is a real suspicion of rabies.
An animal infected with rabies can go months without showing signs of the disease, and infected smuggled dogs therefore run the risk of not being reported to the Swedish Agency for Agriculture.
– There is absolutely a risk of a rabies-infected dog ending up at a family’s home, says Emelie Pettersson, deputy state veterinarian.
Want to ease the regulations
Every year, customs stops a few hundred dogs at the border, which smugglers have tried to bring into Sweden. But the dark figure is believed to be large. Every year, around 50 animals are euthanized in Sweden with suspected rabies infection, but no rabies case has yet been confirmed.
Veterinarians that Kaliber in P1 spoke to say they want greater opportunities and obligations to report even when the dog does not have direct symptoms. It should be enough that the dog comes with a false passport, for example, or that there is a suspicion that it has been smuggled into the country for a report to be drawn up.
– We think it should be possible for veterinarians to report animals that have not been brought into Sweden in a correct way to the authorities, says Emelie Pettersson.
Facts: Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that occurs in large parts of the world and is transmitted from animals to humans.
The disease is transmitted through saliva and via mucous membranes.
The incubation period is usually three to six weeks, but can be both longer and shorter.
As rabies often has a long incubation period, disease can be prevented by vaccinating and giving specific immunoglobulin immediately after the infection.
When symptoms begin to appear, the disease is almost always fatal.
Symptoms vary between individuals and different animal species. Behavioral changes are often an early sign of illness. Wild animals can lose their shyness, while domesticated animals can become shy. Aggressiveness is a well-known symptom, but the animals can also be lethargic and apathetic.
In humans, the patient becomes ill with anxiety and worry as signs of encephalitis. By affecting the nerves to the pharyngeal muscles, the patient experiences convulsions when swallowing (dropsy). The patient usually dies within 14 days.
Sweden has been rabies-free since 1886, although variants of the infection are likely to be found in bats in Sweden as well.
Source: The Public Health Authority, ANSWER