For Release: IMMEDIATE
Date: August 1, 2006

N.C. Oral Rabies Vaccination Program begins August 7

RALEIGH— On August 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Agency, in cooperation with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Public Health, will begin aerial distribution of rabies vaccine-laced baits in 7 counties in an attempt to vaccinate wild raccoons and prevent them from carrying the virus westward. The raccoon strain of the rabies virus is currently found just along the East Coast. Last year, five counties participated. This year, the vaccine will be distributed in portions of Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Swain and Yancey counties and the northeast tip of Jackson county.

According to Carl Betsill, wildlife disease biologist with USDA-Wildlife Services, a 35-mile-wide bait line currently extends from Lake Erie southward into eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. Eventually, the bait line is expected to be extended all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

The raccoon rabies vaccines are distributed in a coated packet that looks similar to a ketchup packet from a fast-food restaurant. The packet is covered with a fishmeal and fish oil coating that makes it attractive to raccoons. In rural areas, the packets will be dropped from aircraft flying at approximately 500 feet altitude. High-density residential areas will be baited by hand from ground vehicles.

The vaccine has been tested on a variety of different animals, including dogs and cats, with no ill effects. If your pet does find one of the baits, you should not attempt to get it away from them; simply remove any other baits you may find in the area where children or pet may come in contact with them. You should handle the baits with gloves or a towel as they have a strong fishy smell. Each bait is printed with a toll-free phone number if you have questions or concerns.

Raccoon rabies has spread over most of North Carolina within the past decade. While raccoon rabies can infect virtually any mammal, it is spread and maintained in the wild through raccoons. Only very recently were techniques developed to administer an oral vaccine to wildlife populations. Plans are to first stop the westward spread of the disease through the baiting program. If that is successful, it may then be possible to address the disease in wildlife in the rest of the state.

Current programs by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, including pet vaccinations, public awareness programs, and post-exposure vaccinations, have helped prevent human deaths from rabies in recent years in North Carolina. The Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) program will work in conjunction with these ongoing efforts. While there are still other variants of the rabies virus that will be a concern even if the raccoon variant is eliminated, the ORV program is expected to ultimately reduce the incidence of rabies in the state and therefore reduce the need for post-exposure treatments, testing, and other measures.

For more information on the ORV program, please view the USDA Wildlife Services Rabies Management Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/rabies/index.html and the N.C. DHHS Web site at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/rabies/orv1.html.

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