Rabies vaccine baits to be dropped in Portage, Columbiana and Carroll counties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin distributing oral rabies vaccine baits for wildlife in parts of eastern Ohio starting Monday and continuing through most of August.

Carroll, Columbiana and Portage counties are among the areas included in the rabies campaign. Airplanes will distribute the vaccine baits from about Aug. 17 through Aug. 22. Approximately 350,000 baits will be distributed in Ohio.

The bait drops are intended to prevent wildlife — usually raccoons — from spreading rabies. The vaccine bait, which is contained in a blister pack, is covered in a waxy green coating that has a sugar-vanilla smell. The odor attracts targeted wild animals who eat the baits and are then vaccinated against rabies.

These vaccine baits, distributed in parts of Ohio since 2012, are safe for many animals, including domestic dogs and cats. Humans and pets cannot get rabies from contact with the baits but should leave the baits undisturbed. Those who touch a bait should rinse the contact area immediately with warm water and soap.

Where are rabies vaccine baits being dropped in Ohio?

The federal agency said it will distribute the baits throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania on the following schedule:

• Beginning Monday, staff will distribute baits by vehicle in several towns, including Ashtabula, Belle Vista, Conneaut, East Palestine, Edgewood, Geneva, Hubbard, Lisbon, Warren and Youngstown.
• The second week of August, baits will also be dispersed by helicopter in the Ashtabula, Belle Vista, Boardman, Canfield, Conneaut, Courtland, Geneva, Girard, Lordstown, Salem, Warren and Youngstown areas.
• From Aug. 17-22, baits will be distributed by airplanes in rural areas of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including large portions of Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Geauga, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Mahoning, Portage and Trumbull counties.

What is rabies?

Rabies is caused by a virus that infects the central nervous system in mammals. If exposure to the virus is not treated, it is almost always fatal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 90% of reported rabies cases in the U.S. are in wildlife. People are urged not to contact or feed wildlife and to keep pet rabies vaccinations current.

For more information about the National Rabies Management Program, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/national-wildlife-programs/rabies .

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Rabies vaccine baits to be dropped in Portage, Columbiana and Carroll counties