Rabies vaccines being dropped from planes in some West Virginia counties

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Rabies vaccine bait drops are scheduled in West Virginia this week, but the baits are a little different this year depending on where you live.

The Monongalia County Health Department said in a press release that baits will be thrown into rural areas by health department staff and dropped from fixed-wing aircraft starting on Wednesday, but depending on what county you live in, the distribution could continue until as late as Sept. 16, according to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

Although Monongalia County has been part of the bait distributions for years, the health department said this year will look a little different. Monongalia is one of several counties where officials will use ONRAB vaccine baits instead of the V-RG baits that have been used in the past.

The ONRAB vaccines are frozen, so officials in Mon County have planned for an extra day of distribution; instead of smelling like fish, the new sugar coating will smell like marshmallows.

The baits will look similar to how they have in the past—a camo green blister pack. You may see them along the rail-trail system, at Krepps, Marilla and White parks and near the WVU Coliseum in Monongalia County.

Anyone who sees a bait should leave it alone unless it is in an area where pets and children might find it; in that case, the bait can be moved with gloved hands. The baits are safe for dogs to eat, but if they eat too many, it might make them sick.

The new ONRAB baits have proven to be even more effective than the other baits used in the past, according to the health department.

“In some rural habitats, data suggests that ONRAB may perform up to twice as well,” USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service field coordinator Jordona Kirby said in the release.

The release said that it has “virtually eliminated rabies in areas where it has been used in West Virginia.”

Monongalia County has been distributing oral rabies vaccines since 2001, and a number of other counties are also part of the coverage area in 2025, including Marion, Taylor, Preston, Harrison, Barbour, Upshur, Randolph and Webster.