Rabies vaccines to be dropped in Wellington-Dufferin
Baiting to be distributed by hand in urban areas and by air in forested and agricultural areas
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is beginning to drop rabies vaccine packs in Wellington and Dufferin County, to reduce the risk of rabies in wildlife.
The ministry started to distribute vaccine baits by hand in urban areas, including in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph area, in mid July. That will continue until October. In forested and agricultural areas, bait will be dropped by helicopter until the end of August.
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Hundreds of raccoons and skunks in Ontario have tested positive for rabies in the last 18 months, according to a news release from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health on Monday.
As of July 25, there have been 343 cases of raccoon rabies strain and 10 cases of fox strain in Ontario.
Recently, a skunk found near Wallenstein tested positive for rabies in early July, according to Region of Waterloo public health officials. A rabid fox was also found in the same area in May.
No animals have tested positive for rabies in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph area so far this year.
Baits should not be touched
Rabies is found in the saliva of an infected animal and can be spread to other animals if a bite breaks the skin, or if the infected animal's saliva gets into an open wound.
However, when an animal bites into the bait and swallows enough of the vaccine, it should develop immunity to rabies in two weeks, said public health.
Though the vaccine baits are not harmful to people or pets, public health said baits should not be touched or moved unless they are in an area where children play.
In that case, they recommend picking it up with a plastic bag and dropping the bait to a suitable area.