The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), Wildlife Services program (WS) will distribute oral rabies
vaccine in southwestern Virginia to vaccinate raccoons against the rabies
virus. Bait distribution in Virginia is part of a nationwide, cooperative
effort by USDA to prevent the westward spread of raccoon rabies in the eastern
United States. The baiting program is being conducted in part to abate an
emergency human health and safety rabies issue affecting the eastern United
States. Implementation of this program in Virginia is a cooperative
effort between USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
Virginia Department of Health, and other state agencies. The 2017 bait
distribution is the fifteenth annual baiting in southwestern Virginia.
Beginning on or about October
6, 2017, approximately 709,000 coated sachet baits containing the oral
rabies vaccine will be distributed across an 8,500 square-mile bait zone in
southwestern Virginia. These baits will be distributed by low-flying
aircraft throughout a vaccination area that includes parts of the following
counties (Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Giles, Grayson, Scott, Smyth, Russell,
Washington, Wise, Wythe, Tazewell, and Bland) and the cities of Bristol
and Abingdon, VA. The aerial bait drop is expected to last for about
1 week. As the oral rabies vaccination baits are aerially distributed, a
navigator controls the bait machine and turns off the machine as necessary to
avoid dropping baits on roadways, structures, large bodies of water, etc.
The oral rabies vaccination baits which will be distributed over the majority
of the bait zone are “coated sachets.” The coated sachet is a plastic
packet of vaccine coated with a sticky, scented substance to attract raccoons.
Each bait is marked with a toll-free number (1-877-722-6725) for people to call
for assistance or information if they find or come in contact with a bait.
In late September and early
October 2017, USDA personnel will also distribute approximately 14,000 oral
rabies vaccine baits by helicopter in suburban and developed areas within the
bait zone. The oral rabies vaccine baits used for this hand baiting and
helicopter baiting may be either coated sachets or fishmeal polymer
baits. The fishmeal polymer baits are square blocks made of fishmeal and
fish oil and the vaccine is contained inside of a plastic packet in the hollow
center of the block.
Oral Rabies Vaccine baits: fishmeal polymer (left) and
coated sachet (right).
We recommend the following
precautions in case ORV baits are found by persons or pets:
· If
your pet finds an ORV bait, do not attempt removal of the bait from your pet’s mouth, as you could be bitten. Eating the baits will not harm your pet.
· Confine
your pet and look for other baits in the area. These baits should be removed from areas where your pet could eat them.
·
Instruct children to leave baits alone.
· Wear gloves
or use a towel when you pick up the bait. Although
there is no harm in touching an undamaged bait,
they have a strong fishmeal smell. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water if there is any chance that the vaccine sachet has been ruptured.
· If
a person or pet is exposed to the vaccine contained within the bait, call the
toll-free number on the bait (1-877-722-6725)
to report the bait contact.
Please contact the USDA at
804-739-7739 if you have any questions about the Wildlife Services Oral Rabies
Vaccination Program. Enclosed is a map of the 2017 bait distribution
zone. Additional information is also available from the website: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife-damage/rabies
