IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RABIES FROM USDA WILDLIFE SERVICES

n Vermont, USDA works with the Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets, to distribute oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits targeting the raccoon rabies virus variant (RRVV) and conducts enhanced rabies surveillance (ERS) in northern Vermont to monitor for expansion of raccoon rabies. Close to 10 million ORV baits have been distributed by USDA in Vermont since 1997 to protect people, pets, livestock, and wildlife from this deadly disease. The continued collection and testing of USDA samples is critical to the ongoing success of the ERS effort to eliminate RRVV from Vermont.

Due to the ongoing expansion of rabies into northern Vermont, please report any dead or strange acting raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, or bobcats to the USDA Vermont Rabies Hotline (1-800-4-RABIES; 800-472-2437), especially from thecounties of Grand Isle, Franklin, Lamoille, Orleans, and Essex. Vermont veterinarians are a critical partner for rabies surveillance, since wildlife that can carry rabies may be reported during pet exposure evaluations.

For more information on rabies in Vermont, and for guidance on pet exposures to rabies and animal submissions for rabies testing, please visit: https://www.healthvermont.gov/disease-control/zoonotic-diseases/rabies