Massachusetts Wildlife Rabies Vaccination Project
Raccoon Rabies Vaccination Project on Cape Cod in Massachusetts
The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts
University, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health, United States Department of Agriculture/Wildlife
Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is
conducting a project to help control the spread of rabies in Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and USDA/Wildlife Services fund
this project.
What is raccoon rabies?
Raccoon rabies was first reported in Massachusetts
in September 1992. Since that time, through 2006, there have been
greater than 4,000 wildlife cases of rabies in Massachusetts.
Domestic animals are at risk for developing rabies when they are
bitten by an infected wild animal. Every year many people in Massachusetts
are exposed to rabies either through direct contact with infected
wildlife, or by contact with domestic dogs and cats exposed to
infected wildlife.
What is the Massachusetts Wildlife Rabies Vaccination
Project?
From 1994 to March 2004, this project created and
maintained a barrier to keep Cape Cod free of rabies by vaccinating
a large number of raccoons in towns surrounding the Cape Cod Canal.
As of March 2004, the first rabies case was detected on Cape Cod
beyond the canal, indicating a breach in the vaccine barrier,
and rabies has since spread throughout the Cape. In cooperation
with county, state and federal agencies, our new goal is to continue
to vaccinate Cape Cod wildlife against this disease to reduce
and then hopefully eliminate rabies on the Cape.
Where is the Project taking place?
The vaccination zone will cover the town area from
Yarmouth east through Provincetown.
How can free-ranging raccoons be vaccinated against
rabies?
The vaccine is contained in baits that have a strong
fish smell specifically attractive to raccoons and unpleasant
to people. Raccoons that consume a vaccine-bait unit are vaccinated
against rabies. This type of vaccine is desirable because it can
be distributed in the environment and is self administered by
wildlife. Vaccine containing baits are distributed from cars along
roadsides in wooded, brush covered, and wetland areas where raccoons
are likely to find and eat them. Helicopters and walking on foot
are used to distribute baits in areas inaccessible by road. Driveways,
lawns, buildings, schools and agricultural fields are avoided.
How long do baits stay in the environment?
Studies have shown that most baits are eaten within four days
and almost all baits are gone in one week. If bait is not found
and eaten, the bait will dissolve, exposing the vaccine packet.
Sunlight inactivates the vaccine quickly, as does exposure to
air.
Does the vaccine cause any ill effects in wildlife
or pets?
Doses of up to 75 times the amount of vaccine contained
in one bait have been fed to raccoons and dogs with no ill effects.
However dogs that eat several of the fishmeal block baits may
have a temporarily upset stomach from the fatty bait. A number
of dogs are known to have eaten baits since the beginning of this
program, and no ill effects other than an occasional upset stomach
have been reported.
What might happen if a person finds a bait or becomes
exposed to the vaccine?
The intact vaccine-bait unit is safe for people
to handle. The liquid vaccine is enclosed within a plastic packet
that is either sealed within a bait block, or simply coated with
the fishy attractant. Each bait is labeled with a warning message
that includes a number to call for information. If an intact bait
is found, it should be placed in a brushy area where a person
or pet would be unlikely to find it again. Chewed baits should
be picked up with a paper towel and disposed of in the trash.
If a healthy person ingests or has direct contact with the liquid
vaccine itself, there should be no adverse health effects. In
the event an immune-compromised person (a person undergoing chemotherapy,
or a person with HIV infection) has exposure to the liquid vaccine
itself, through ingestion or contamination of an open wound, or
if the exposed person has a skin condition like eczema causing
breaks in the skin surface, they could experience a reaction to
the vaccine. If any person is exposed to the liquid
vaccine, please call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
at
1-888-658-2850 or (617) 983-6800.
Can vaccine-containing baits be purchased for use
in backyards?
Vaccine containing baits are not available for purchase by the
general public or other groups. Distribution of the baits is a
permitted activity through the Massachusetts Department of Fish
and Game.
What do we do if we see sick wildlife or are exposed
to a rabid animal?
Call your animal control officer or the police
if you see sick wildlife - do not handle wildlife without experienced
help. If you or your pets are exposed to sick wildlife, try to
safely capture the animal in a box with a broom, and then call
for help. Do not handle with bare hands. Wash all wounds with
soap and water thoroughly, and then contact your doctor or veterinarian.
Always keep all your pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
For More Information Please Contact:
-
Your town Board of Health
-
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine:
Project Director Janet Martin, DVM
(774) 230-2210, (508) 887-4761 (voicemail), or (508) 839-7918
(main)
-
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health
For questions about human contact with bait, call MDPH:
(24/7) 1 (888) 658-2850, or (617) 983-6800
General rabies info at: http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/epii/rabies/rabies.htm
- Information is available through the following websites:
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at:
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/wildlife/orv.html
National rabies vaccine programs info at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/rabies/ and www.raboral.com/
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