Aerial deliveries of oral rabies vaccine get underway this week in North Carolina

North Carolina’s wildlife rabies vaccination program gets underway this week as part of an annual effort to help protect North Carolinians and their pets.

The Wildlife Services division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be distributing oral rabies vaccine for wild raccoons starting this week. Aerial drops are scheduled in areas including Alleghany, Ashe, and Wilkes counties.

The plastic packet baits that contain the vaccine are sprinkled with coatings that make them attractive to the raccoons.

Wildlife officials caution that while the products are safe, anyone who comes in contact with the vaccine should thoroughly wash the affected area with soap and water and call the phone number listed on the bait packet for further instructions. Gloves or towels are recommended if a bait package needs to be moved.

The USDA notes the baits are not harmful to pets beyond possibly giving them an upset stomach.

Erica Berl, a state public health veterinarian, released a statement saying that “avoiding contact with wild animals and vaccinating our domestic animals and pets is the best way to prevent rabies, which can often be fatal.”