WEST LEBANON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture — along with multiple New Hampshire departments including Health and Human Services — will spread oral rabies vaccine bait throughout Grafton and Coos counties.
The initiative, which is scheduled to take place Wednesday, May 6 through Friday, May 15, is part of the National Rabies Management Program, according to a USDA news release. It is targeted at raccoons, which are especially prone to catching and spreading rabies.
The virus, which infects the central nervous system in mammals, “represents a serious public health concern,” the release said. “If exposures to the virus are not treated it is almost always fatal.”
This month, employees will use small airplanes and vehicles to distribute the bait. They are scheduled to distribute more oral rabies vaccines in August.
Vermont officials recently announced a similar vaccine drop in Northern Vermont, where rabies cases in the Green Mountain State have been concentrated lately.
