Hog Cholera, Swine Pseudorabies and Vesicular-Exanthema may be transmitted 

 through the feeding of un-cooked garbage to swine and the law we have which 

 mandates such cooking is our primary prevention and control procedure. 

 We are indebted to USDA-APHIS for all swine-testing conducted here. 



EQUINE PROGRAM 



Massachusetts requires a negative Coggins Test (for Equine Infectious 

 Anemia) to be conducted within six months prior to entry. Just under 11,000 

 such tests were conducted with seven positives. Since this disease is now of 

 such a low incidence here, we have lengthened to 24 months the test period 

 required for Massachusetts-owned horses to be shown here. This relieves the 

 horse owner of a necessity of an annual test and will not, we feel, contribute 

 in any way to the spread of this disease. As always, we sent out press releases 

 urging horse owners to vaccinate their animals against Eastern-Western 

 Encephalitis. No equine deaths from this \-)ere confirmed in this state though 

 several occurred in nearby New Hampshire. 



Licensing of Riding Schools and Stables (an animal protective device) 

 and Horseback Riding Instructors, considered a consumer protective measure, 

 continues, though the position of supervisor of Riding Academies has been 

 unfilled for two years. Agents of the Massachusetts SPCA conduct the 

 surveillances for us with regard to stable licensing. These two programs are 

 important sources of revenue for this Division. 



PET SHOP LICENSING 



The licensing of Pet Shops is primarily a disease control measure, 

 especially in the area of parrots and other psittacine birds. Recent 

 outbreaks of WND (Velogenic Viscerotropic Newcastle Disease) in parrots have 

 allowed USDA-APHIS agents to trace every exposed bird sold into Massachusetts 

 Pet Shops. Since this disease has the capability of wiping out the domestic 

 poultry industry, we have good reason to thank the pet shop owners in general 

 for their interest and co-operation in this regard. 



RABIES 



This disease remains endemic in the wildlife population and remains a 

 constant, though admittedly low-level, threat to residents of this State. 

 Since skunks remain a source, their sale as pets was made illegal a year ago. 

 This Division initiates the quarantine of any animal which has bitten a person. 

 More than 6,000 quarantines were completed. More than 600 animal brains were 

 submitted to the Wasserman Laboratory for definitive rabies analysis. 



POULTRY 



This section of the Division has been hurt severely by two retirements. 

 We're only four field men to blood test (105,000 birds tested) to inspect at 

 shows and fairs (29 shows), to do retail store inspections (over 2,700 stores 

 inspected), to check on Massachusetts-Grown-And Fresher logo use, to conduct 

 USDA-Egg Products Act inspections and to take care of a myriad of other 

 poultry diseases. This section is severely under-manned. Our State remains 

 officially pullorum-clean and we are very proud of the work these men do, as 

 well as the co-operation of the State's producers, but maintaining a disease- free 

 status in the poultry industry with four men may not prove possible. 



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