APHIS	 Factsheet

Wildlife Services August 2006

Oral Rabies 

Vaccination Program 

in the East

Rabies Background

Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervous 

system in mammals and is almost always transmitted through saliva when an infected animal bites an 

uninfected animal or person. Rabies is invariably fatal 

if left untreated; however, effective vaccines are available to protect people and pets. 

More than 90 percent of all rabies cases reported 

each year in the United States occur in wildlife. Several different variants of the rabies virus exist in this 

country, and all variants are capable of infecting mammals, including humans. Raccoons and skunks are 

responsible for most reported cases, but bats, foxes, 

and coyotes also commonly transmit the disease. 

The Role of the Wildlife Services (WS) Program

WS, a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS), helps alleviate or minimize wildlife 

damage to agricultural, urban, and natural resources. 

An important part of WS’ mission includes assisting in 

wildlife disease-management to protect public health 

and safety. 

Since 1997, WS has been working cooperatively 

with local, State, and Federal governments; universities; and other partners to manage rabies in wild 

carnivores through education, surveillance, and oral 

rabies vaccination (ORV). A vaccination zone has 

been established from Maine to Alabama to prevent 

the westward and northward spread of raccoon rabies. 

Geographic features such as large lakes and rivers as 

well as the Appalachian Mountains act as natural barriers that help define the vaccination zone. In 2005, 

almost 9 million oral rabies vaccine-laden baits were 

distributed in 15 Eastern States, targeting raccoon 

rabies.

In addition to working toward eliminating rabies 

where it already exists, WS also works with States to 

monitor uninfected areas near the vaccination zones. 

If a positive case were discovered, a contingency 

action plan would be implemented. The plan would 

include WS personnel and cooperators’ conducting 

enhanced rabies surveillance. WS might also trap 

raccoons to vaccinate them against the disease and 

then return them to the wild. In addition, WS would 

consider distributing oral rabies baits containing vaccine where the first case or cases originated to create 

immunity and prevent rabies from spreading. 

 

Distributing the Vaccine

The oral rabies vaccine, manufactured by Merial Inc., 

consists of a sachet or plastic packet containing the 

Raboral V-RG® rabies vaccine. The vaccine sachets 

are either coated in fishmeal crumbs or encased inside 

fishmeal polymer baits about the size of a matchbox. 

When a raccoon bites into a bait, the sachet 

ruptures, allowing the vaccine to make contact in the 

animal’s mouth and throat. Animals that have contact with an adequate dose of the vaccine develop an 

immunity to rabies. As the number of vaccinated animals in the population increases, the ability to transmit 

the disease in the raccoon population decreases, 

creating a barrier to stop the spread of the raccoon 

variant.

Oral rabies vaccine is distributed mostly by air, 

but some densely populated areas may be baited 

by hand. Fixed-wing aircraft are the most effective 

means for dispersing large numbers of the ORV baits 

over rural areas. Hand baiting is used in urban and 

suburban areas to increase the likelihood of raccoons’ 

finding the baits and reduce the chance of people or 

domestic animals’ coming into contact with the vaccine.

If you discover a bait, it is best to leave it where 

you found it. Do not attempt to remove a bait from 

your pet’s mouth; doing so may cause you to be bitten. This vaccine cannot cause rabies and is safe if 

eaten by domestic dogs and cats. It has been tested 

on more than 60 animal species with no adverse 

effects. If you come into contact with the pink-liquid 

vaccine contained within the bait, wash the affected 

area thoroughly with soap and water and call USDA’s 

WS office toll free at 1–866–4–USDA–WS 

(1–866–487–3297) for further instructions and referral.

Determining the Effectiveness of the Program

After baits have been distributed and raccoons have 

had a chance to ingest them, WS works with its cooperators to measure the success of the ORV campaign. 
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 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

Live-traps are set and checked regularly. These 

traps are affixed with labels in case individuals discover a trapped animal and wish to contact WS. All 

captured raccoons are temporarily anesthetized so 

that blood samples can be taken and their first premolar, a small, single-rooted tooth, can be removed. 

Once the anesthesia has worn off, the raccoons are 

released back into the wild at their capture sites. 

All samples are sent to cooperating laboratories such as the rabies laboratory at the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, 

GA, where the rabies antibody level for each raccoon sample is determined. Tooth samples are 

sent to laboratories for examination to determine the 

animal’s age and if their tooth contains a tetracycline 

biomarker indicating whether one or more baits were 

ingested. The biomarker causes the formation of an 

altered tissue layer in tooth and bone that is visible 

under a fluorescent microscope.

The Future

Expertise from a variety of sources, including publichealth, wildlife, and agricultural agencies, is integral to 

the overall team-centered approach for rabies prevention and control. 

` WS provides a variety of technical and operational 

services for rabies management, including assistance 

with effective disease and wildlife population surveillance, a continuing commitment to the development 

of additional species-specific oral vaccines, and 

improved strategies to prevent human exposure to 

rabies. 

Protect Yourself From Rabies

As the cost of living with rabies in the United States 

exceeds $300 million a year, it is important to educate 

the public about how to keep from contracting this disease. Listed below are helpful hints on how to reduce 

the possibility of contracting the rabies virus.

$ Do not touch or pick up wild animals or stray 

domestic animals.

$	 Properly vaccinate all family pets against rabies.

$ Report unknown or strangely acting animals to 

your local animal control officer or, if the animal is 

wild, to wildlife officials.

$ Do not make your yard inviting to wild animals. 

Remove trash and secure garbage cans. Do not 

leave pet food outside.

$ Keep family pets indoors at night. During the day, 

do not let them roam.

If You Are Bitten

$ Immediately wash the bite with soap and water for 

5 minutes.

$ Try to capture the animal only if you can do so 

without receiving additional bites or other injuries.

$ Immediately report the bite to your doctor and 

your local health officer.

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.