Five years ago, Monongalia County Health Department hosted a group of wildlife staffers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Elkins to discuss rabies.
Cases had been creeping up and, at the same time, the area treated by the USDA’s oral rabies vaccine (ORV) distribution program had mostly been moved away from Monongalia County.
MCHD officials asked the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to move the program, in which the ORV baits are dropped from aircraft over specific areas, back to Monongalia County.
The USDA agreed and since 2019, a year that ended with 20 reported rabies cases in Monongalia County, instances of the deadly viral disease have plummeted.
So far this year, there has only been one reported case, in June, when a rabid raccoon was found on property lying in both Monongalia and Preston counties.
“It’s made a substantial difference since they moved the line back,” said Todd Powroznik, program manager for MCHD Environmental Health.
Oral rabies vaccine baits are dropped from aircraft over a specific area of the Eastern United States, including West Virginia starting at the Northern Panhandle and continuing down north-central and then eastern West Virginia.
At the same time, the USDA supplies Monongalia County Health Department with vaccine baits that the Environmental Health sanitarians distribute by hand in grassy areas around Morgantown.
In addition to moving the aerial line to cover Monongalia County, the USDA also has increased the number of ORV baits provided, from 1,000 in previous years to around 1,400-1,500 now.
“They couldn’t thank the Environmental Health staff enough for participating in this,” Powroznik said. “We know all of the boundaries within the cities — including Star City, Granville, Westover — and also where the parks are as well as heavily populated areas and the rails to trails.”
Oral vaccine baits are exactly what the name implies. Baits with rabies vaccines are distributed so that raccoons and other wildlife can consume them, inoculating them against rabies.
The appearance of the baits differ but are usually either dark green or brown. The ones dropped from planes are lighter in weight.
Dates have just been set for the Monongalia County area for this year. The USDA will be conducting the airdrops between Aug. 22-28 and are somewhat dependent on weather, while MCHD sanitarians will be distributing them around Morgantown on Aug. 27-28.
“We’ll have two different teams, with four in each car and a couple of people on the rail trails,” Powroznik said. “We’ll have all hands on deck.”
It will be a very busy time for MCHD Environmental Health. The week before, sanitarians will be inspecting food vendors at the Mon County Fair and also tattoo artists at the West Virginia Tattoo Expo. That’s why they plan to go out toward the end of the aerial drop instead of the beginning.
“They would like us to coordinate with them, and by going out on Aug. 27 and 28, we can do that,” Powroznik said.
Individuals who come across ORV baits should leave them alone unless they are found on a path or somewhere a dog or other pet could reach them. To move them, put on gloves and take them to an area with less traffic.
The baits are not toxic to animals but if a pooch consumes too many of them, an upset stomach might ensue.
As a reminder, rabies is a viral disease found in mammals that attacks the nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and then death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov/rabies). The closer to the head a person is attacked, the faster rabies can develop.
Also, not only is getting your cat, dog or ferret vaccinated for rabies a good idea, it’s also law in West Virginia. An unvaccinated pet that gets into a scuffle with a rabid raccoon usually ends up on the losing end of that fight.
While we’re out doing what we can to keep the community safe from rabies, pet owners should also follow guidelines for not only the sake of their neighbors, but also themselves and their families.
We cannot thank you enough for your help!
Email Mary Wade Burnside at MaryWade.Burnside@wv.gov.
