(JP) Gifu University in quarantine scare

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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20020214a6.htm

 

Gifu University in quarantine scare

 

GIFU (Kyodo) Gifu University is suspected of

improperly quarantining animals used in experiments,

university and prefectural government sources said

Wednesday.

 

The medical faculty of the public university carried

out experiments on cats and dogs obtained from local

public health centers without taking sufficient

quarantine steps, the sources said.

 

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Ministry has launched an investigation. Improperly

quarantined lab animals can spread disease to doctors

and consequently their patients or any other people

they may come in contact with.

 

The faculty experimented on more than 50 improperly

quarantined dogs and cats in fiscal 2000, they said,

adding the facility began improving quarantine

procedures in fiscal 2001. The facility cleaned and

palpated the animals, but prior to 2001 kept them

under observation for about three hours to one day. In

fiscal 2001, the observation time was extended to five

days to a week, they said.

 

The prefectural government will tell the university to

thoroughly quarantine the animals in accordance with

ministry policy, an official said.

 

The prefectural government may also stop providing

dogs and cats to the university for use in

experiments, the official said, in light of growing

criticism from animal rights activists.

 

The ministry said it has instructed all universities

to quarantine lab animals " as required. " Ministry

officials added that as the method of quarantine used

differs according to species and how the animals are

acquired, quarantine methods are usually left up to

the schools.

 

The Japan Times: Feb. 14, 2002

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