Wildlife officials will drop hundreds of thousands of rabies vaccine baits across north Georgia next month in an effort to keep raccoon rabies from spreading further south.
What’s happening: The U.S. Department of Agriculture will scatter the baits by airplane and helicopter across two separate project areas that include Georgia. One covers parts of western North Carolina and north Georgia, with about 415,000 baits planned. A second, centered on Dalton, covers parts of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with 648,000 baits scheduled for distribution.
What the baits look like: Each bait is a two-inch plastic packet coated with a fishmeal attractant. The vaccine inside, called RABORAL V-RG, is safe for most animals, including dogs and cats. Neither people nor pets can get rabies from touching or eating one. Dogs that eat several baits may get a temporary upset stomach but face no lasting harm.
If you find one: Officials ask the public to leave baits where they land. Anyone who handles one should wash the area right away with warm soap and water.
By the numbers: About 90 percent of rabies cases in the United States occur in wildlife, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear, but is preventable. Detection, prevention, and control of rabies costs the country more than $500 million a year.
The path forward: Both Georgia-area projects are scheduled for October. Residents with questions can call 1-866-487-3297 or visit www.aphis.usda.gov/national-wildlife-programs/rabies.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
