A new directive limiting families in Beijing to only one dog as part of an effort to eradicate rabies was announced by state media Wednesday, AP reported. It follows a campaign in which tens of thousands of dogs were killed to fight the disease. Rabies killed 318 people nationwide in September, according to the official Xinhua news agency. There were 2,651 reported deaths from the disease in 2004, the last year for which data is available. In Beijing, some 69,000 people sought treatment for rabies last year. The Humane Society of the United States said the policy was "misplaced" and that authorities should focus on rabies vaccination.
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