Vermont, federal officials plan rabies bait drop as wildlife cases rise

Federal and state agencies will be bait-dropping oral rabies vaccine doses throughout northwest Vermont counties to counter a growing outbreak among wildlife.

In a press release this week, officials with the Vermont Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wildlife services program said they plan to distribute more than 250,000 doses of an oral rabies vaccine in parts of Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle counties.

It’s an expansion from last year, when roughly 38,000 doses were dropped throughout Chittenden County . This year’s early distribution, scheduled to begin on May 4, is in addition to an annual bait drop conducted each August.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the brains of infected mammals. In Vermont, rabies is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and woodchucks. Pets and livestock can also get the disease if they have not been vaccinated for rabies.

While the state has seen a “significant increase of rabid animals” in Chittenden County over the past several years, according to the release, the outbreak is now impacting Franklin County, and state and federal officials are working to stave off the disease’s spread to other counties.

Officials said in the press release that 51 animals in Chittenden County have tested positive for rabies since March 2022 — 10 of which have been identified this year.

In Franklin County, five animals tested positive for the disease in March. The county had no cases of rabies among land animals in 2022 or 2023.

The bait drop is designed to help prevent spread of rabies among wildlife, “protecting people and domestic animals who may come into contact with them,” said Dr. Natalie Kwit, a public health veterinarian with the health department.

The sweet-smelling oral bait is expected to be dropped from low-flying planes in rural areas, by helicopter in suburban areas and by hand in more residential areas.

The bait packs are not poisonous and are not harmful to people, pets or wildlife, but “if you find a bait pack, please don’t touch it unless necessary,” officials said in the press release.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont, federal officials plan rabies bait drop as wildlife cases rise .