USDA airdrops rabies vaccine to protect people and wildlife
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will distribute oral rabies vaccine (ORV) by airplane next month across Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.
Rabies continues to pose a public health threat globally, killing approximately 59,000 people each year, and costing the United States over $300 million annually to manage. While historically linked to dogs, the disease now spreads among wildlife like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes, making control more complex.
Since 1995, the USDA has led a national program to manage rabies, and now uses airdrops of fishmeal-coated vaccine packets as a key strategy. These baits target raccoons, coyotes, and gray foxes, aiming to create a “vaccine barrier” to prevent the disease from spreading westward. The USDA hopes to reduce the program’s geographic scope as regional elimination of rabies becomes possible.
People who find the vaccine baits do not need to worry, as the vaccine is safe for over 60 animal species, including pets, and the agency advises leaving it alone or moving it with gloves to a wilder area.
