Vermont and Quebec ramp up rabies vaccination efforts with cases rising among wildlife

Key Points:

• Federal and Vermont authorities will distribute over 900,000 vaccine baits by air and on the ground to vaccinate wild animals, mainly raccoons and skunks, against rabies, more than doubling last year's efforts due to a recent rise in cases.
• Northern Vermont, especially Orleans County, is a focus area as most of the 16 reported animal rabies cases in 2026 have occurred there, with neighboring Quebec also intensifying vaccine distribution after a recent rabid raccoon detection near the border.
• The vaccine baits are waxy packets containing liquid rabies vaccine that burst in the mouths of animals when bitten, designed to immunize wildlife and reduce rabies transmission to humans, pets, and livestock.
• Officials urge the public to avoid touching wild animals and vaccine baits, keep pets vaccinated, and contact the rabies hotline if exposed or if bats are found indoors, emphasizing that vaccine baits are safe but should be handled carefully to avoid contamination.
• The cause of the recent rabies increase and northward spread remains uncertain, but vaccination campaigns aim to contain the disease and protect public health amid this concerning trend.