BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County has set Aug. 1 for its annual rabies vaccine bait drop.
Starting on that day through Aug. 5, fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and vector control staff on the ground will distribute the bite-size vaccine.
The packets are green and about the size of a quarter.
“We need to be vigilant when it comes to preventing rabies in wildlife populations,” said Senior Public Health Sanitarian Peter Tripi, who manages the county’s Vector Control Program. “By reducing the risk of this disease in wild animals, we are adding an additional line of defense to protect pet health and public health. I greatly appreciate the effective partnership that ECDOH and the USDA have forged, with them in the sky and us on the ground.”
If you see or come into contact with one of the packets:
- Do NOT disturb vaccine packets. Most packets are eaten within four days; almost all baits will be gone within a week. If packets are not found and eaten, they will harmlessly dissolve and exposed vaccine will become inactivated. If you must move a vaccine packet, wear gloves or use a plastic bag or paper towel to pick it up. Place any damaged baits in the trash; throw intact baits into a wooded area or other raccoon/wildlife habitat.
- Residents should WASH HANDS IMMEDIATELY if they come into direct contact with the vaccine or packets, then call the NYSDOH Rabies Information Line at (888) 574-6656.
Additional recommendations include:
- Supervise children’s outdoor activities during bait distribution and for one week afterward.
- Confine dogs and cats indoors and observe leash laws during the bait distribution interval and for one week afterward. This will increase the probability of raccoon vaccination and decrease the chance of pets finding the baits.
- Baits and vaccines are not harmful to domestic animals. However, an animal may vomit if it consumes several baits.
- Residents should not risk being bitten while trying to remove bait from your pet’s mouth.
“Protecting pets with a rabies vaccine is easy enough with a visit to the veterinarian or one of our free rabies vaccine clinics,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “Vaccinating wildlife in all corners of the county is much more challenging. But with the USDA and its oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program, animals like raccoons, skunks and foxes – which are reservoirs for rabies virus – are protected against this deadly disease. This adds another layer of protection against rabies for pets and for humans.”
More information about rabies, rodents and arboviruses can be found here.
