Wildlife Services, a program within the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, began distributing oral rabies vaccine baits on Oct. 16, to prevent the spread of raccoon rabies in portions of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Baits containing the oral rabies vaccine will be distributed over rural areas using low-flying twin-engine aircraft and hand baiting will occur in populated regions using ground vehicles. The projected one-week program will target raccoons and result in the distribution of more than one million baits covering roughly 8,940 square miles in three states.

This bait distribution will complete this year’s Appalachian Ridge vaccination campaign, which has been underway since August. Since 1997, WS has been cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies to establish a rabies-free barrier in the eastern United States where the raccoon strain of rabies threatens wildlife populations and pets, as well as public health and safety. The following states have been part of this cooperative vaccination effort coordinated by WS: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Baits containing the vaccine are coated with a fishmeal attractant and may be packaged in one-inch square cubes or two-inch plastic sachets. Humans and pets cannot get rabies from coming into contact with the baits. Should you encounter a bait, please leave it undisturbed. This vaccine has been shown to be safe in more than 60 different species of animals, including domestic dogs and cats. Dogs that consume large numbers of baits may experience an upset stomach, but there are no long-term health risks