Anne Arundel County Residents Should Avoid Raccoon Vaccine Bait

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The annual raccoon oral rabies vaccination project carried out by the Anne Arundel County Department of Health began Thursday, Aug. 29. Residents are advised to avoid baits that will be placed across the county. The project should wrap up the end of September, weather permitting.

The baits contain the liquid rabies vaccine and will be placed in neighborhoods by trained health department employees wearing shirts featuring health department logos. Baits also will be dropped from a low-flying county police helicopter in less populated areas.

The bait will either look like a ketchup packet with a light brown waxy coating or a small brown brick with a plastic packet inside. Anyone who comes in contact with the bait or has a pet that encounters the bait should call 410-222-1423 weekdays and 443-481-3140 evenings and weekends.

The vaccine is designed to vaccinate raccoons when the animal bites into the vaccine packet. It cannot cause rabies and is not harmful to raccoons, pets or other animals. While it does have a very low human health risk, the health department advises that youth, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic skin condition contact their doctor if they handle it.

The health department also recommends that pet owners keep their pets confined or on a leash during the baiting period and for two weeks thereafter. If your pet finds a bait, carefully remove the bait from your pet’s mouth.