The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will distribute oral rabies vaccine baits this month.
Twenty- four counties will be receiving the animal vaccines that will be dropped by planes, helicopters and distributed by vehicle.
Raccoons and other wildlife will eat the baits and become immunized. The goal is to prevent the spread of the rabies amongst West Virginia wildlife.
The baits are not toxic or harmful to wildlife. According to the Monongalia County Health Department, the vaccine baits may cause an upset stomach for dogs with they eat many of the baits.
Three different types of oral rabies vaccine (ORB) will be deployed. One is a blister pack, one green and one white and the other is wrapped in a brown coating.
ORV will also be deployed in Marion, Harrison, Taylor, Wetzel, Tyler, Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Greenbrier, Fayette, Hancock, Lewis, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Nicholas, Ohio, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Randolph, Summers, Upshur, Webster, and Wyoming counties.