The U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct oral rabies vaccine bait drops across parts of northeast Georgia next month as part of a national effort to slow the spread of raccoon‑variant rabies in the eastern United States.
Helicopters are scheduled to distribute baits over Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Towns, Union, Walker and Whitfield. Portions of Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee are also included in the regional operation. A wider distribution is planned later used airplanes.
Nearly 500,000 baits will be deployed in the state. The baits are small plastic sachets coated with fishmeal crumbles to attract raccoons and other wildlife. Each contains the RABORAL V‑RG vaccine, which federal officials say is safe for pets and humans. Eating several baits may cause temporary stomach upset in dogs or cats, but no lasting effects.
USDA asks that you not to touch or move the baits so wildlife can consume them. Anyone who handles a bait should wash their hands with warm soap and water. The USDA advises reporting any contact with the vaccine packets to its hotline at USDA Rabies Program or to local public health officials.
The program is intended to immunize raccoons and reduce rabies transmission. Federal health agencies note that most rabies cases in the country occur in wildlife and that the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear but is preventable through vaccination.