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f 1 i 4 economist sunthe tribune may 8 1997 p 7 rabies awareness month information now on internet health may is rabies awareness month in recognition of the fact the ontario ministry of natural resources will upgrade its use of the internet to provide people with infor mation they can use to effectively protect themselves and their families from rabies public awareness and knowledge are vital to the fight against the spread of rabies said natural resources minister chris hodgson recently as the awareness month was officially launched our materials- including our web site contain information that will help everyone to recognize the signs of rabies and to know how to protect themselves if they encounter an ani mal suspected of being rabid the mnrs internet web site has been added to its program of public education and immunization of foxes and raccoons as ways to promote the protection of public health the web site features be smart about rabies which includes a cartoon sequence explaining rabies another addition is links which will connect users to other rabiesrelated web sites the web site which is at httpwwwmnrgovoncamnrrabi esrabmenuhtml contains a series of fact sheets this information may also be obtained from local community health unit offices or at the natural resources information centre room ml73 macdonald block 900 bay street toronto ontario m7a 2c1 or by calling 416 3142000 our rabies information program discusses the simple yet effective steps people can take to increase their protection against rabies said hodg son one is to vaccinate pets against rabies each year another is to avoid wild animals anyone coming in contact with an animal suspected of being rabid should get immediate medical atten tion the spread of rabies can be prevent ed by keeping pets confined or on a leash and by warning children to stay away from wild stray or aggressive animals do not touch bats or raccoons bat- proofing and raccoonproofing hous es and cottages will reduce chances of contact the ministry is continuing to moni tor raccoon rabies which has spread from the southern united states to new york state it has not yet entered ontario but the disease has reached the us side of the provinces southern border the mnr has set up a raccoon immuniza tion program which the ministry hopes will contain or slow the spread of raccoon rabies by creating a buffer zone of- protection the ontario raccoon rabies task force which has responsibility for rabies control has a strategic plan in place for countering the spread of rac coon rabies including a program of preventive action the mnr is also continuing its suc cessful program to eliminate fox rabies in ontario in the mnrs bait program bait containing vaccine is dropped from aircraft over rural areas after eating the bait foxes are immunized against rabies the work began in eastern ontario in 1989 and a 30000-square- kilometre area was declared rabiesfree in 1996 the bait pro gram was spread across southern ontario in 1994 from 1980- 1989 there were about 2000 rabid animals reported each year in ontario in 1996 there were only 156 rabid animals reported this is a good indication of the decline in the overall population of rabid animals in the province eato a cls sgza zattxjpxxjljau uimf 1 i u a p v a yi jv fe v v i i r i teisss vv- mmm co co save 10 to 50 on a great selection of regular and clearance priced merchandise i come i and pick up your scratchoff game card instore il m 0ifer excludes cosmetics fragrances bath body sunglass hut all jockey calvin klein merchandise easy spirit shoes liz claiborne guess fashion apparel and accessories mens womens regular and sale fficei designer collections gucci watches and sale priced merchandise in fine jewellery mont blanc accessories prospector footwear home entertainment major appliances cameras home office equipment royal velvet if 1 and eaton home towels prerecorded video audio tapes cds clearance books watch straps eaton gift certificates restaurants concessions services list subject to change without notice see scratch card for complete details i ikrflj saotjfc vfz w y ik k oalfc ino on regular priced home electruf oh hl iud major appuange purchases offer excludes panasonic ga00 tvs computers this weekend only may 9 t0 111997 eatons we want to be your store ailvau u v u w x vuux t v vvvvvvvvlt