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Bait Pellets Used To Control Rabies In Raccoons

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By CARL ORTH

The Suncoast News

Published: February 11, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County staff have finished placing 61,200 baits pellets used to vaccinate raccoons against rabies.

The county has participated in the annual program for about seven years, said Denise Hilton, Pasco's animal services manager.

This year, however, the state reduced the area covered in Pasco County, Hilton reports.

The distribution concluded last week.

"We distributed baits from State Road 52 south to the Pinellas County line and went as far east as U.S. 41," Hilton said. "Previous years, we covered the entire county."

Last week, Pinellas County Animal Services distributed anti-rabies vaccine bait packs throughout the peninsula. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Pinellas program is a test effort to eradicate rabies from the Pinellas raccoon population.

Pasco County Animal Services posts extensive background information about the rabies threat with a link on its Web page at http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/c....

The virus lives in the saliva and brain tissue of infected mammals.

"Rabies is fatal once the virus reaches the brain. This means pets, livestock, wildlife and people are at risk," the advisory reads in part.

"Rabies is spread mainly through bites from infected animals. Rabies can also be passed by scratches from an infected animal or when infected saliva or brain tissue comes in contact with open wounds, skin breaks or mucous membranes.

"Rabies is carried mainly by wild animals including raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. Dogs, cats and farm animals can easily pick up rabies from wild or stray animals."

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