The Beagle experiment keeps changing: experts criticize the Council of Agriculture for shooting the arrow first and then painting the target

The Council of Agriculture (COA) had originally planned to carry out a rabies experiment on 14 beagles at the end of August, but suspended it until now after a public backlash; Chao Pan-hua, deputy director-general of the COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said yesterday morning that the beagle experiment would not be carried out before cases of dogs and cats infected with rabies were reported; but COA Minister Chen Bao-ji clarified yesterday afternoon that the beagle experiment would definitely be done, only the order of the experiments would be adjusted; Chao explained that what he said yesterday morning was relaying the recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "perhaps I did not explain it clearly, which caused the media to misunderstand."

Paradoxically, both Chen Bao-ji and Chao Pan-hua said that the beagle experiment was being done to evaluate oral vaccines for stray dogs; but the scholars who took part in the discussions said that all along, what had been discussed was oral vaccines for ferret-badgers, and they did not know when the COA had confirmed that stray dogs also needed oral vaccines. Yeh Li-sen, an adjunct professor at National Taiwan University's School of Veterinary Medicine, criticized the COA for constantly changing its statements, saying "it feels like shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target," and called on the COA to first assess whether to invest in oral vaccines for stray dogs before carrying out the beagle experiment.

Chen Bao-ji Overturns Subordinate's Statement; Chao Pan-hua: Relaying US Recommendation

The Central Epidemic Command Center for rabies held a press conference yesterday morning, at which Chao Pan-hua said that over the past two months nearly a thousand rabies cases had been monitored, and no dogs or cats had been found to be infected with rabies; based on overseas data and expert opinions, it was judged that the ferret-badgers currently infected with rabies in Taiwan were very unlikely to transmit the virus to cats and dogs, and it was decided to change the plan: first carry out animal experiments with mice and ferret-badgers, and not carry out the beagle experiment until cases in cats and dogs appeared.

But Chen Bao-ji came forward in the afternoon to clarify: the beagle experiment had not been cancelled, only the order had been changed.

Chao Pan-hua said in an interview with reporters last night, "The beagle experiment will not be carried out before cases in cats and dogs appear." He said that when he made this statement yesterday morning, he was relaying the opinion of the US CDC, and it was not the COA's decision; "perhaps I did not explain it clearly, which caused the media to misunderstand." He said that foreign experts believed that vaccination of dogs and cats in Taiwan was under control, and that rabies infection was mainly in ferret-badgers in mountainous areas, and recommended that Taiwan adjust the order of the experiments, first doing the mouse and ferret-badger experiments to confirm the pathogenicity, and only doing the beagle experiment last.

Chao Pan-hua further explained that foreign experts might not know that Taiwan's stray dog and cat problem is serious, which is why they thought the beagle experiment was unnecessary; ownerless dogs and cats live in close proximity to ferret-badgers, and there is still a risk of infection, so the COA believes the beagle experiment must still be done to clarify the virus's pathogenicity rate.

The Beagle Experiment Is Not Injection but Oral Vaccine Administration

Both Chen Bao-ji and Chao Pan-hua said that because it is very difficult to inject stray cats and dogs one by one with vaccines, oral vaccines might be administered to stray dogs in the future, so the beagle experiment must definitely be done.

But when the COA decided last month to do the beagle experiment, the reason given was to clarify the possibility and dosage of rabies virus from ferret-badgers being transmitted to dogs, and no mention was made of administering oral vaccines to stray dogs.

In response, Chen Bao-ji said that Professor Yeh Li-sen had already suggested administering oral vaccines to stray dogs in July, and there had already been discussion at the time; Chao Pan-hua responded that he had already sought the opinion of Dr. Chen Chen-chih of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, who also supported evaluating oral vaccines. But Chao admitted that the US CDC had not made such a recommendation, "but we do not necessarily have to rely on foreign experts."

COA: Scholars Suggested Oral Vaccines; Scholars: Never Heard of It

But when a reporter relayed the COA's statement, Chen Chen-chih responded, "I have never heard such a statement." He said that he was mainly responsible for oral vaccines for ferret-badgers, that there were currently no dog infections, and that the expert meetings had never mentioned oral vaccines for stray dogs. Moreover, oral vaccines are very expensive, and they are not effective just because they are eaten; the United States once evaluated oral vaccines for stray dogs, but after considering cost and effectiveness, it ultimately did not administer them, and very few countries around the world administer oral vaccines to stray dogs.

Yeh Li-sen said that stray dogs are not easy to vaccinate, and that he had indeed suggested that the COA evaluate oral vaccines, "but I do not know when the COA decided to administer them." He pointed out that internationally, only India and South Africa have administered oral vaccines to stray dogs, but there are still no complete effectiveness reports.

Yeh Li-sen believes that the COA should explain in detail the purpose of the beagle experiment, the research methods, and the response measures for different results; now that its statements keep changing, "it feels like shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target, which is extremely worrying."