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Rabies vaccination effort targets Vermont’s northern border amid rising cases
WCAX • • health
Key Points:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun vaccinating wildlife against rabies in Vermont due to a significant rise in rabies cases reported by the Vermont Department of Health.
- Rabies, previously absent from northern Vermont, has spread up to the border with Quebec, driven by increasing raccoon populations linked to more available food and less hunting.
- The expansion of raccoons into suburban areas where animals were previously unexposed has caused a surge in rabies cases, particularly in Chittenden and Franklin counties.
- One million vaccine baits are being distributed via planes, helicopters, and ground crews along the northern border to south of Burlington to contain the outbreak.
- Residents are advised to avoid handling vaccine baits and to let raccoons find them, with pet owners cautioned not to remove baits from animals to prevent human exposure.
