Coordinated effort to halt the spread of raccoon rabies to get underway
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, greater than 90 percent of reported rabies cases in the United States are in wildlife including raccoons.
Ohio will take part in a coordinated effort to halt the spread of raccoon rabies. Ongoing evaluation of a new oral rabies vaccine called ONRAB will occur in Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning, Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
Fixed-wing and helicopter distribution of baits will take place in Ohio from approximately May 20-24, weather permitting. The spring program is part of a contingency response to a rabies outbreak in Stark County during 2017.
Rabies is a serious public health concern because if left untreated, it is invariably fatal. Costs associated with detection, prevention and control of rabies conservatively exceed $300 million annually.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, greater than 90 percent of reported rabies cases in the United States are in wildlife. The cooperative USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services National Rabies Management Program was established in 1997 to prevent the further spread of wildlife rabies in the United States by containing and eventually eliminating the virus in terrestrial mammals.
The majority of the NRMP efforts are focused on controlling raccoon rabies, which continues to account for most of the reported wildlife rabies cases in the U.S. Raccoon rabies occurs in all states east of the established ORV zone, which extends from Maine, to Northeastern Ohio, to Northeastern Alabama. Continued access to oral vaccine and bait options that are effective in all target wildlife species remains critical to long-term success.
The ONRAB bait consists of a polyvinyl chloride blister pack, containing the vaccine. To make the baits attractive, the blister packs are coated with a sweet attractant that includes vegetable-based fats, wax, icing sugar, vegetable oil, artificial marshmallow flavor and dark-green food-grade dye. Humans and pets cannot get rabies from contact with the bait. However, people who encounter baits directly are asked to leave the bait undisturbed.
Should contact with bait occur, immediately rinse the contact area with warm water and soap and call your local health department at 330-343-5555. Do not attempt to remove a bait from your dog’s mouth. The bait will not harm the dog. If you have additional questions related to the spring baiting program in Ohio, call the Wildlife Services office in Poland, Ohio at 330-726-3386.