The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is announcing that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now distributing oral rabies vaccine (ORV) in parts of Alabama.
The action will take place through Oct. 20 is a continuation of a decades-long program to reduce raccoon rabies and the associated public health risks from rabies exposures.
In urban areas, such as the Birmingham metropolitan area, vaccine packets are distributed by hand from trucks alongside the tree lines, according to ADPH. Low-flying airplanes and helicopters are often used to drop baits in more heavily wooded areas that are more difficult to access. In rural areas with vast wooded lands, airplanes will be used in the vaccination area.
Personnel will distribute approximately 34,200 ORV baits by vehicles in the Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding communities within the bait zone through Oct. 6.
The ORV baits used for hand baiting the urban/suburban areas are square blocks made of fishmeal and fish oil. The vaccine is contained inside of a plastic packet in the hollow center of the block.
A portion of the following counties have been identified as having drop zones: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega and Tuscaloosa.
The vaccine packets consist of a sachet, or plastic pack, containing the rabies vaccine. The outer shell of the packet is coated with fishmeal or dog meal to attract raccoons. Raccoons are vaccinated by opening the packet with their teeth, which exposes their gums to vaccine.
Animal exposures are common, but the ORV poses no risk of rabies to humans or animals if exposed.
Anyone who finds a bait is advised to leave it alone to allow wildlife to find it. If a packet is found by a person, ADPH advises to:
- Handle it with gloves AND
- Place it in an area where a raccoon may find it OR
- Dispose of it in the trash.
Occasionally, skin reactions occur in humans. It is best to avoid direct contact with the skin, eyes or mucous membranes with the vaccine.
If exposure occurs accidentally, then it is recommended that the person wash hands with warm water and soap. Should more serious reactions occur, there is a telephone number on the vaccine packet to call for more information.
More information on the distribution of the oral rabies vaccine in parts of Alabama through Oct. 20 can be found here.
