Mobile Rabies 

Command Post

Background

Rabies is one of the oldest known viral diseases, 

presenting a significant wildlife, domestic-animal, 

and public-health management challenge. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 90 percent of rabies cases 

reported in the United States each year are found in 

wildlife. The cost of living with rabies in the United 

States is thought to exceed $300 million annually, 

including the use of domestic-animal vaccinations, 

postexposure treatment of bite victims, and prevention programs. Oral rabies vaccination of wildlife is 

a key component of Federal and State cooperative 

rabies management programs. The goal of this 

multi-State effort is to stop the spread of this deadly 

disease. 

Wildlife Services (WS), a program within the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, is charged with providing leadership to alleviate or minimize wildlife damage to agriculture, property, and natural resources. An integral 

part of the WS mission is protecting people from 

health and safety threats posed by wildlife in addition 

to providing assistance in wildlife disease management. 

WS has a long history of involvement with State, 

local, and other Federal agencies in the campaign 

to directly control the spread of rabies in the United 

States. These partnerships form the basis for 

coordinated rabies control programs and provide the 

tools needed to stop the spread of rabies.

Mobile Rabies Command Post

The mobile rabies command post is one of the tools 

WS’ National Rabies Management Program uses 

to manage rabies in wildlife. Operated by WS, the 

mobile unit is equipped with the most advanced 

technology to help coordinate aerial distribution of 

rabies vaccines. It is a one-of-a-kind vehicle built 

to WS’ specifications and provides continuity of 

operations in States where specialists are working to 

control wildlife rabies. 

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) operations require 

the use of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft to effectively 

and efficiently distribute oral vaccines over large 

rural areas. Coordinated vaccine placement is crucial 

to increase the likelihood of wildlife finding and ingesting the matchbox-sized vaccine-filled baits. 

Flight-following in this environment is critical for 

providing crew safety and for ensuring that vaccines 

are distributed in prime wildlife habitat. The mobile 

command post is equipped with a separate flightfollowing station designed to allow personnel to track 

aircraft movement through radio communication and 

global positioning system (GPS) technology. On 

an average workday, WS distributes about 300,000 

oral rabies baits. In 2005, the mobile command post 

tracked approximately 148,400 flight miles, which is 

the equivalent of circling the world almost six times. 

WS frequently conducts ORV programs in remote 

rural areas, where communication networks are 

weak or absent. To address this challenge, the unit 

is equipped with a retractable, 50-foot transmission 

tower to receive clear communication signals without 

interference.

In addition, the command post is equipped with 

a meteorological station and satellite television for 

weather and news updates. This is important because 

the aircraft distributing baits fly at an altitude of 500 

feet, making weather an important consideration when 

coordinating flight schedules. 

The command post is also a self-sufficient mobile 

office that provides WS personnel and cooperators 

with seven workstations and a 40-foot-long work area 

that is 12 feet wide, along with an additional storage 

area that makes the overall length of the trailer 53 

feet. Traveling about 10,000 miles annually, the entire 

unit is deployed using a 250-horsepower dieselpowered truck that requires a professional driver. 

Mobile Rabies Command Post

Factsheet

Wildlife Services June 2006

APHIS
The mobile command unit is equipped with: 

•	 Hard-wired telephone lines;

• Two-way satellite communication;

• Backup power provided by a 25-kilowatt onboard 

generator;

• Geographic information systems (GIS)-capable 

computers;

• Seven networked stations for access to Internet 

and printing;

• A large-format color printer; and

• Refrigerator, microwave, storage cabinets, and a 

heating/cooling system.

 

Emergency Response Trailer

In addition to the mobile command unit, WS has a 

trailer designed to provide equipment, laboratory 

space, and communication infrastructure to assist 

with wildlife rabies outbreaks. The 16-foot trailer can 

be dispatched to serve as a Biosafety Level 2 laboratory to conduct real-time rabies surveillance and 

testing. A Biosafety Level 2 laboratory is suitable 

for work involving biologically active viruses, such as 

rabies, that pose a moderate potential hazard. The 

laboratory can be sealed off to maintain a sterile environment. An office workstation wired for telephone 

and Internet is located in the front portion of the trailer 

to facilitate immediate communication capabilities in 

the event of a rabies outbreak. 

Stainless-steel work shelves fold against the wall 

in order to store equipment when not in use. Biological samples can be stored in the refrigerator/freezer. 

Any vehicle capable of towing 6,000 pounds can pull 

this trailer. 

Additional Information 

For more information, please visit the National 

Rabies Management Program’s Web site at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/rabies/index.html

or call 1–866–4–USDA–WS to contact your 

WS State office.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital 

status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 

genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a 

part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance 

program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative means for communication 

of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 

TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, 

Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-

6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture