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The 2022 Raccoon Oral Rabies Vaccination Project began on Monday, Aug. 29 and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30. The goal is to immunize thousands of wild raccoons by placing approximately 84,500 baits containing the vaccine throughout Anne Arundel County, according to the Anne Arundel County Department of Health.
Anne Arundel County had 14 confirmed cases of the fatal disease in 2020, 10 of those cases being raccoons. Three foxes and one bat were also confirmed.
Rabies is a fatal viral disease that spreads through the bites or scratches of infected animals. Rabies can spread to both animals and humans, so being vigilant about its prevention is important.
A safe vaccine for raccoons has been used successfully in Maryland since 1998 and more than 10 other states to control the deadly disease.
Two bait versions will be used to distribute throughout Anne Arundel County. One is a fishmeal brick with a small plastic bag of the vaccine inside. The other is a packet coated with a waxy fishmeal attractant
The raccoons must bite into the packet to be vaccinated. The vaccine contains a live vaccinia virus into which a small portion of the rabies virus has been inserted.
It cannot cause rabies.
It has been proven effective in immunizing raccoons and coyotes, and it has been shown to cause no harmful effects in more than 50 different species of birds and mammals, including dogs and cats.
From a human safety standpoint, the vaccine presents a low risk, but pet owners should still be cautious and careful about removing vaccine from a pets mouth.
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