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Volume 11, Number 12—December 2005
Dispatch

Phocine Distemper Outbreak, the Netherlands, 2002

Jolianne M. Rijks*†‡, Marco W.G. Van de Bildt‡, Trine H. Jensen§, Joost D.W. Philippa‡, Albert D.M.E. Osterhaus*†‡, and Thijs Kuiken*†‡Comments to Author 
Author affiliations: *Dutch Wildlife Health Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; †Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, the Netherlands; ‡Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; §Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark

Main Article

Table 1

Age and sex distribution of harbor seals stranded during 2002 phocine distemper virus epidemic in the Netherlands

Stranding location Coastline (km)* Harbor seals
No. stranded No. that underwent necropsy† Juvenile‡
 Subadult‡
 Adult‡
M F M F M F
Texel 57 281 – – – – – – –
Vlieland 41 303 198 25 35 86 123 11 23
Terschelling 67 338 190 42 36 92 134 17 17
Ameland 49 279 156 22 22 87 96 34 18
Schiermonnikoog 29 331 219 33 31 82 101 52 32
Rottumeroog and Rottumerplaat 14 172 – – – – – – –
Friesland mainland 93 217 159 8 21 57 66 27 38
Groningen mainland 80 194 138 18 34 28 50 24 40
North Holland 124 97 – – – – – – –
South Holland 36 18 – – – – – – –
Zealand 116 51 36
Total 706 2,284 1,096 148 179 432 570 165 168

*Source: ref (8).

†These are harbor seals for which complete data were obtained. Seals from Texel, Rottumeroog and Rottumerplaat, North Holland, and South Holland were excluded because of the small proportions that underwent necropsy.

‡Age category and sex for stranded seals with missing observations were imputed by using those of seals that were stranded in the same location and on the same or closest weekly date.

Main Article

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