Annual wildlife rabies vaccination program starts mid-October for WNC counties

RALEIGH, N.C.  (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help prevent the spread of rabies in western North Carolina.

Starting mid-October, Wildlife Services will be distributing oral rabies vaccines to wild raccoons across the region. On October 16, bait — consisting of a sachet or plastic packet — with oral rabies vaccines will be aerially distributed in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties.

Additional baits will be distributed by hand in the Asheville area from October 14-16.

The baits will be sprinkled with a fishmeal coating or encased inside hard fishmeal polymer blocks about the size of a matchbox. When a raccoon bites into the bait, the vaccine packet is punctured, allowing the vaccine to enter the animal’s mouth. The vaccine protects the animal from becoming infected with rabies.

 “The best way to prevent rabies is to avoid contact with wild animals and ensure pets are vaccinated against rabies,” said Emily Herring, NCDHHS Public Health Veterinarian. “Through this annual oral rabies vaccine distribution and the vigilance of pet owners, we can work to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.”

The oral rabies vaccination program, implemented in the 90s, helps to prevent the raccoon rabies epizootic from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains, where raccoon rabies does not exist.

Officials assure the intact bait will not harm people, pets, or wildlife. While the vaccine is safe for domestic dogs and cats, it is only approved for use in vaccinating wildlife. The USDA Wildlife Services has issued the following precautions if you or your pets encounter bait: 

• If you or your pet finds the bait, leave it where you found it unless it is on your lawn, driveway, or other area unlikely to attract raccoons, in which case you can move the bait to an area of thicker cover where raccoons are more likely to find it and pets are less likely to encounter it.
  • Wear gloves or use a towel if you pick up bait. While there is no harm in touching undamaged baits, they have a strong fishmeal smell.
• Eating the bait won’t harm your pet, but consuming several baits might temporarily upset your pet’s stomach.
• Do not try to remove an oral rabies vaccine packet from your pet’s mouth, as you could be bitten.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water if there is any chance the vaccine packet has ruptured.
• Instruct children to leave baits alone.
  • If a bait is ingested by a child or adult, contact your local health department or call the phone number listed on the bait (1-877-722-6725). To date, NCDHHS has never received a report of a human ingesting a bait packet.
• Broken or ruptured baits are ineffective and should be disposed of by using gloves to place the bait in a bag and then into a regular trash bin.
  • Anyone who comes into contact with the bait’s liquid vaccine should thoroughly wash their hands using soap and water, then call the phone number listed on the bait or their local health department for further instructions and referral.

Rabies is almost always fatal in mammals, including people, once symptoms develop.

Yesterday, Sept. 28, was World Rabies Day, which aims to raise awareness about rabies and disease prevention. In North Carolina, rabies is most commonly found in wild animals. In 2024, over 4,000 animals were submitted to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health for rabies testing, and of these, approximately 6% tested positive. Raccoons, the primary wildlife reservoir for rabies in North Carolina, accounted for the highest number of positive tests. 

In North Carolina, domestic pets — including dogs, cats and ferrets — must be vaccinated against rabies by four months of age and routinely thereafter in accordance with state law.  

The distribution of the oral rabies vaccines is expected to be completed by late October, depending on weather and other extenuating factors. Once the vaccines have been distributed, Wildlife Services will continue to monitor the status of raccoons and locations of rabies-positive animals. 

Additional information about the National Rabies Management Program can be found on the USDA website.  To learn more about the oral rabies vaccine program, visit the NCDHHS Division of Public Health webpage.