Rabies

State to Start 11th Annual Bait Drop Today

For Immediate Release: Aug. 7, 2007

Media Contact: Communication Office

Vermont Department of Health

802-863-7281

BURLINGTON - The 11th annual Rabies Bait Drop will begin today in an effort to slow a growing number or rabies cases that have spread through the northern part of Vermont and across the border into Quebec.

This time last year there were only 38 confirmed cases of rabies in Vermont, mostly in raccoons and skunks. So far in 2007, there have been 110 confirmed cases. Quebec, which had only two suspected cases in 2006, has already confirmed 41 cases of animal rabies.

"We have seen a higher number of rabies cases this year, particularly raccoon rabies," said Dr. Robert Johnson, state veterinarian for the Vermont Department of Health. "The bait drop will be denser this year than in previous years based on our mapping of cases here in Vermont where we have seen clusters, such as the northwest corner of the state in Franklin County."

The bait will be dropped from an altitude of 500 feet. The planes will fly uniform grid lines 0.3 miles apart and drop more than 400,000 fishmeal cakes at a rate of eight baits per second. As wildlife detect and then devour the bait - the animals are inoculated. A bait navigator stationed in the front of each of the three twin-engine Beachcraft aircra ft will have the job of making sure the small wax casings containing oral vaccine do not land on any cars, houses, water or people.

The bait drop will be expanded this year to include communities in Clinton County, New York.

Anyone who finds the bait should leave it untouched, unless it is discovered on a lawn or driveway where it is unlikely to attract a raccoon. Remove the bait with a glove and wash your hands with soap and water.

The bait cannot cause rabies if it is touched or eaten and is not harmful to children or pets, but it does have an objectionable smell if it gets on your skin. No human cases of rabies have been reported in Vermont this year.

Since 1992, the USDA has offered a toll-free Rabies Hotline in Vermont. Keep a safe distance from wild animals and, if bitten, call 1-800-472-2437.

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Rabies Contacts:

• Vermont Rabies Hotline: 1-800-4-RABIES (1-800-472-2437)
• Vermont Department of Health: 1-800-640-4374 1-802-863-7240
• Dr. Bob Johnson, State Public Health Veterinarian, Vermont Department of Health: rjohnso@vdh.state.vt.us
• USDA Wildlife Services: 1-802-223-8690
• Center for Disease Control & Prevention: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies
• Bat Conservation International, Inc.: www.batcon.org

Preventing Rabies:

• Don't feed or touch wild animals, or animals you don't know - even baby animals
• Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly
• Wash any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Call your doctor right away especially if you are bitten, or get animal saliva in a cut, eyes, nose, or mouth
• Have all dead, sick, or easily captured bats tested for rabies if exposure to people or pets occurs
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools, and other similar areas where they might contact people and pets.

Be a responsible pet owner by keeping vaccinations current for all dogs, cats, and ferrets, keeping your cats and ferrets inside and your dogs under direct supervision, and calling animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood and spaying and neutering your pets.

Vaccinate your Pet!!!

Vermont Rabies Control 2007

Rabies is a fatal viral disease found mainly in wildlife (especially raccoons, foxes, bats, skunks and woodchucks) but can infect domestic animals and humans. Hundreds of cases of animal rabies have been reported throughout Vermont since 1992 and the outbreak will continue to be a problem for many years.

No one can tell if an animal has rabies by looking at it. Rabid animals may seem normal or can be lethargic or aggressive. Usually there is a change in normal behavior. Any animal wounded by a wild animal not available for testing must be regarded as having been exposed to rabies. Rabies is mainly transmitted by a bite. Rare non-bite exposures can occur if wet infectious saliva or nervous tissue contacts a fresh open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth. Rabies virus is not found in blood, urine, feces or skunk spray.

Avoid wildlife, vaccinate domestic pets and livestock (check with your veterinarian every year) and know who in your community (town health officer or other local official or neighbor) will help you with an animal problem. If you think you have found orphaned wildlife, don’t touch them, call the phone numbers on this page for help. Game wardens can be reached by calling the state police. If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately and call your doctor.

Bats are an important part of our ecosystem but should be appreciated at a distance.  Bats are increasingly implicated in human rabies cases. A bat found in a room with a sleeping individual or an unattended child or a bat that has made physical contact with an individual should be tested for rabies.

A booster should be considered for a currently vaccinated domestic pet with wounds of unknown origin, whereas an unvaccinated domestic pet should be immediately vaccinated and kept under the owner’s control and observation for 6 months (additional boosters at 3 and 8 weeks should be considered in high risk situations). Log rabies conversations with owners on the animal's record.

The local health officer shall cause an apparent healthy domestic animal that bites an individual, regardless of vaccination status, to be confined and observed for ten days for signs of illness, usually at a responsible owner's residence.

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is responsible for the prevention of rabies in humans and for the management of animals that may have exposed humans. The VDH assesses human and animal rabies exposure, coordinates rabies specimen testing and provides vaccination guidelines.

Dr. Bob Johnson, State Public Health Veterinarian.

1-800-640-4374, 802 863-7240, rhj6@cornell.edu

The VT Rabies Hotline/USDA, Wildlife Services, 1-800-4-RABIES, 802-223-8690, offers excellent rabies and wildlife information by wildlife biologists.

Animal Rabies Cases Confirmed by the Vt Dept of Health By Year

(See below for 2007.) 

COUNTY	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	Total
FRANKLIN	5	15	4	0	0	1	6	3	5	0	0	0	0	1	7	47
ADDISON	1	0	1	20	41	7	5	11	5	9	8	6	5	8	12	139
CHITTENDEN	7	8	2	5	18	85	14	6	8	3	7	11	4	1	4	183
WINDHAM	1	1	5	64	6	0	0	0	2	13	30	9	5	0	1	137
LAMOILLE	0	7	14	1	2	0	0	5	7	3	2	1	0	0	9	51
ORLEANS	0	11	17	0	0	0	0	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	35
ESSEX	0	1	9	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12
CALEDONIA	0	2	41	5	0	0	10	5	2	0	0	1	0	15	12	93
WASHINGTON	0	0	28	16	2	0	16	40	6	3	3	0	15	17	4	152
BENNINGTON	0	0	15	24	5	2	15	3	2	18	14	1	2	2	4	107
RUTLAND	0	0	6	24	7	4	4	11	8	4	14	3	3	8	11	107
ORANGE	0	0	1	9	10	2	2	5	4	1	1	4	5	5	7	56
WINDSOR	0	0	0	10	44	10	0	0	6	5	9	1	6	1	2	94
GRAND ISLE	10	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	12
UNK	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
TOTAL	24	45	143	179	135	113	72	92	57	61	90	37	45	58	73	1224

92-06

TOTAL	Raccoon	Skunk	Fox	Cat	Dog	Cattle	Bat	Other**
1224	582	326	227	16	8	14	27	24

** 11 Woodchucks, 1 Beaver, 1 Pig, 3 Horses, 6 Coyotes, 1 Fisher, 1 Lamb

ANIMALS TESTING POSITIVE FOR RABIES IN VERMONT 2007

1/9/07 Reminder for veterinarians from Dr. Bob Johnson:  Vaccination of domestic animals including livestock is important.  We just confirmed an unvaccinated horse in Benson (Rutland County) and a skunk that bit several unvaccinated cows in Corinth. Four bovine (Shoreham, Ferrisburgh, Danville, New Haven) were positive last year.  Since I have been keeping track of rabies cases, we have confirmed 44 domestic animals in Vermont: 16 bovine, 15 cats, 7 equine, 4 dogs, 1 pig, 1 sheep. I am intererested in tesing strange acting raccoons and other wildlife.

Town	County	Species	Date
Essex	Chittenden	Raccoon	1/3
Corinth	Orange	Skunk	1/3
Benson	Rutland	Horse	1/3
Montpelier	Washington	Bat	1/4
Stowe	Lamoille	Raccoon	1/4
Fairfield	Franklin	Raccoon (pending)	1/24
Chelsea	Orange	Cow (pending)	1/26
Ferrisburg	Addison	Skunk	2/1
Pownal	Bennington	Raccoon	2/1
Williston	Chittenden	Raccoon	2/6
Benson	Rutland	Skunk	2/6
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	2/13
St. Albans	Franklin	Skunk	2/13
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	2/15
Stockbridge	Windsor	Bobcat	2/21
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	2/21
Bristol	Addison	Raccoon	2/23
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	2/27
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	3/3
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon (pending)	3/14
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon (pending)	3/14
Colchester	Chittenden	Skunk	3/21
Colchester	Chittenden	Skunk	3/21
Williamstown	Orange	Fox	3/21
Burlington	Chittenden	Raccoon	3/23
Bennington	Bennington	Raccoon	3/23
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	3/26
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	3/26
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	3/26
Colchester	Chittenden	Skunk	3/29
Essex	Chittenden	Raccoon	4/2
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	4/6
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/6
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/6
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/6
Barnet	Caledonia	Skunk	4/6
Rockingham	Windsor	Raccoon	4/6
Braintree	Orange	Skunk	4/10
Fairfax	Franklin	Skunk	4/11
St. Albans	Franklin	Sheep	4/12
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	4/12
Essex	Chittenden	Raccoon	4/12
Georgia	Franklin	Raccoon	4/19
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	4/19
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/20
Burlington	Chittenden	Raccoon	4/24
Middlebury	Addison	Raccoon	4/24
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	4/25
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	4/25
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	4/25
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	4/25
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/26
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	4/26
Fairfax	Franklin	Skunk	4/26
Danville	Caledonia	Skunk	5/1
Stowe	Lamoille	Raccoon	5/3
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	5/8
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/8
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	5/8
Shoreham	Addison	Skunk	5/9
Highgate	Franklin	Red Fox	5/15
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/15
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	5/16
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	5/16
Fairfax	Franklin	Skunk	5/16
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	5/17
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	5/23
St. Albans	Franklin	Red Fox	5/24
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	5/24
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	5/24
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	5/24
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	5/24
Thetford	Orange	Bat (Big Brown)	5/25
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	5/31
Georgia	Franklin	Raccoon	5/31
Franklin	Franklin	Raccoon	6/3
Sheldon	Franklin	Raccoon	6/5
Fletcher	Franklin	Raccoon	6/5
St. Albans	Franklin	Skunk	6/15
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	6/15
Richmond	Chittenden	Skunk	6/16
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	6/18
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	6/18
Franklin	Franklin	Racoon	6/21
Underhill	Chittenden	Raccoon	6/26
Danville	Caledonia	Skunk	6/26
Vergennes	Addison	Cat	6/28
Fairfield	Franklin	Raccoon	6/28
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	6/28
Fairfax	Franklin	Raccoon	7/3
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	7/11
Fairfax	Franklin	Skunk	7/11
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	7/12
Fletcher	Franklin	Raccoon	7/12
Berlin	Washington	Woodchuck	7/13
Danville	Caledonia	Raccoon	7/13
Randolph	Orange	Skunk	7/20
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	7/21
Braintree	Orange	Skunk	7/25
Lyndon	Caledonia	Raccoon	7/26
Enosburg	Franklin	Raccoon	7/27
St. Albans	Franklin	Raccoon	7/27
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	7/31
Bristol	Addison	Skunk	8/3
South Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	8/7
Colchester	Chittenden	Skunk	8/14
Colchester	Chittenden	Skunk	8/14
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	8/14
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	8/23
Cambridge	Lamoille	Raccoon	8/23
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	8/23
St. Albans	Franklin	Skunk	8/24
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	8/27
Johnson	Lamoille	Raccoon	8/27
Sheldon	Franklin	Raccoon	8/28
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	8/28
Enosburg	Franklin	Raccoon	8/30
Williston	Chittenden	Skunk	9/11
Richmond	Chittenden	Skunk	9/12
Essex	Chittenden	Raccoon	9/12
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	9/14
Barre	Washington	Skunk	9/17
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	9/18
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	9/18
Swanton	Franklin	Raccoon	9/18
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	9/20
Highgate	Franklin	Raccoon	9/20
Burlington	Chittenden	Raccoon	9/26
Georgia	Franklin	Skunk	9/27
Fairfield	Franklin	Raccoon	9/27
Bradford	Orange	Skunk	10/1
Johnson	Lamoille	Skunk	10/4
Barre	Washington	Cat	10/4
Alburg	Grand Isle	Raccoon	10/10
Fairfield	Franklin	Raccoon	10/10
Swanton	Franklin	Skunk	10/10
Williston	Chittenden	Raccoon	10/10
Sheldon	Franklin	Skunk	10/17
Westminster	Windham	Skunk	10/18
Rockingham	Windham	Raccoon	10/23
Swanton	Franklin	Skunk	10.31
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	11/2
Enosburg	Franklin	Skunk	11/6
North Hero	Grand Isle	Raccoon	11/6
Essex	Chittenden	Raccoon	11/6
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	11/8
Essex	Chittenden	Skunk	11/14
Enosburg	Franklin	Raccoon	12/15
St. Albans	Franklin	Skunk	11/16
Burlington	Chittenden	Skunk	11/20
Sheldon	Franklin	Skunk	11/21
Bridport	Addison	Skunk	12/6
Braintree	Orange	Raccoon	12/11
Franklin	Franklin	Skunk	12/11
St. Albans	Franklin	Big Brown Bat	12/13
Barnet	Caledonia	Raccoon	12/24
Morrisville	Lamoille	Skunk	12/24

Domestic Animals Confirmed With Rabies in Vermont Since 1992

Note:  Fox variant likely through October 1995, thereafter raccoon strain.

Cat	Grand Isle	3/92
Cow	Highgate	10/92
Horse	Windham	8/92
Cow	Sheldon	10/93
Cow	Newport	12/93
Cow	Newport	12/93
Cow	Franklin	3/94
Dog	Island Pond	3/94
Horse	Holland	3/94
Cow	Hyde Park	5/94
Cat	Eden	6/94
Dog	Cabot	7/94
Cat	Cabot	7/94
Cat	Moretown	9/94
Dog	Concord	10/94
Dog	Woodbury	11/94
Pig	Hinesburg	10/95
Cat	Sharon	11/95
Cow	Thetford	3/96
Cow	Strafford	4/96
Cow	Strafford	4/96
Cat	Thetford	4/96
Cow	Norwich	5/96
Sheep	Poultney	5/96
Horse	Bethel	6/96
Cat	Hartford	6/96
Cow	Monkton	3/98
Cat	Weybridge	10/98
Cat	Groton	10/98
Cat	Washington	12/98
Cat	Montpelier	1/99
Cat	Rockingham	6/00
Cat	Brattleboro	1/02
Donkey	Wells	2/02
Donkey	Wells	2/02
Horse	Pownal	4/02
Cow	Ferrisburg	7/02
Cat	Brattleboro	7/02
Cow	Shoreham	5/06
Cow	Ferrisburg	6/06
Cow	Danville	9/06
Cow	New Haven	10/06
Horse	Benson	1/07
Cow	Chelsea	1/07
Cat	Vergennes	6/07

16 cats, 17 cows, 4 dogs, 7 equine, 1 pig, 1 sheep

46 domestic animals as of 7/9/07