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Rabies bait will be falling from the sky
Published October 4, 2008
Over the next few days, airplanes from the United States Department of Agriculture will be fighting the spread of rabies in raccoons.
Dropping hundreds of thousands of small laminated packets of bait, USDA officials hope to stop the westward spread of raccoon rabies.
Keith Wehner, rabies field coordinator, said the two-inch plastic sachets will be dropped by small, fixed-wing airplanes into wooded areas in an area stretching from Chattanooga to Atlanta to Birmingham.
“People shouldn’t be alarmed if they see a lot of white, red and blue planes coming in and out of Albertville’s airport. We will be flying five planes out of here over the next four days,” Wehner said.
Flying at about 500 feet, pilots will drop the small sachets containing a rabies vaccine. The sachets are coated in fishmeal crumbs and are about the size of a matchbox.
When a raccoon bites into a bait, the sachet ruptures, allowing the vaccine to make contact in the animal’s mouth and throat.
Wehner said the planes are the most efficient way to distribute a large number of bait packets into rural areas. More urban areas and areas around lakes, rivers and large streams may force USDA officials to “hand bait” an area with small, block-like baits.
“We are putting out vaccine baits to try and halt the westward spread of raccoon rabies,” Wehner said. “We do our best to keep them out of densely populated areas. Sometimes with winds and other factors, it is easier said than done.”
Residents who may find a bait sachet on their property are asked to don gloves or cover their hands with a plastic bag, and move the bait to a wooded or landscaped area where a raccoon is more likely to find the bait.
While the baits do not contain any live rabies strains, officials ask residents not to disturb the baits if possible. Humans and pets cannot get rabies from coming into contact with the baits. The vaccines used in the baits are safe in more than 60 different species of animals.
“If you see your dog has one of these baits in its mouth, don’t try to take it from them. You run more of a risk of getting bitten than the dog getting sick,” Wehner said.
Most sightings of rabid raccoons occur during the spring and summer when people are more likely to come into contact with wildlife. Raccoon rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system in mammals. Symptoms include unusual, aggressive or calm and “friendly” behavior, an inability to eat or drink, balance problems, circling, seizures, coma and finally death. Human exposures can be successfully treated, if treatment is sought immediately following a bite.
Wehner cautioned people if they see a wild animal, stay away from it and keep all pets indoors. Anyone bitten by an animal should wash the wound with lots of soap and running water and call their local health department. If the animal is a domestic animal, get the name and address of the animal’s owner. If the animal was wild, contact a professional trapper to confine the animal.
If the animal is dead and needs to be picked up for testing, wear gloves or use a shovel to place the carcass into a heavy plastic bag and put it in a cold place away from other people and other animals.
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