Anne Arundel County to launch raccoon rabies vaccination project next week
BALTIMORE -- Anne Arundel County's wild raccoons will soon be baited into taking a genetically engineered vaccine that will make them immune to rabies, according to authorities.
The oral vaccine, known as Raboral V-RG, will be placed in 84,500 baits throughout the county, Anne Arundel County Department of Health officials said.
The vaccine has been shown to be effective in 50 different species of birds and mammals, including dogs and cats.
There are two types of bait. One type looks like a small brown brick and contains a small plastic bag of liquid rabies vaccine, according to authorities.
The raccoon must bite into the bag to become vaccinated, health officials said.
The other type of bait is similar to a ketchup condiment packet—only this packet has been coated with a waxy type of fishmeal that attracts raccoons, according to authorities.
Again, the raccoon must bite into the packet to become vaccinated, health officials said.
The effort to distribute the oral vaccine is slated to begin on Aug. 29 and end on Sept. 30, but that plan could shift due to the weather, according to authorities.
The time frame was selected because it is when baby raccoons are old enough to gather their own food, providing vaccine administrators with the ability to reach the maximum amount of raccoons, health officials said.
Millions of doses of the vaccine have been distributed across the United States, Canada, and Europe with only two reports of human infection due to vaccine contact, according to authorities.
Complications are rare but a specific portion of the population should avoid handling the bait, health officials said. This group includes people younger than 18 years old, women who are pregnant, and people who have immunodeficiency or a chronic skin condition.
In 2020, Anne Arundel County was the site of 14 confirmed rabies cases. That year, 10 raccoons, three foxes, and one bat were found to have the deadly viral disease, health officials said.
The vaccine has been administered in Maryland since 1998, according to authorities.