In recent years, vaccinations have become a huge subject of debate; however, that isn’t stopping the state of North Carolina, along with federal officials, from vaccinating some recipients without their consent or knowledge.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working alongside the US Department of Agriculture to help prevent the spread of rabies; and, beginning in about two weeks, Wildlife Services will be distributing oral rabies vaccine to wild raccoons in western North Carolina.
The state is letting humans know about the program; however, the animals – the one that that will actually receive the vaccine – are being conned into taking it despite never having given their consent.
According to state officials, “The oral rabies vaccination program, originally implemented in the 1990s, helps prevent the raccoon rabies epizootic from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains, where raccoon rabies does not exist. Beginning Oct. 16, 2025, baits containing oral rabies vaccine will be aerially distributed in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties. Additional baits will be distributed by hand in the Asheville area Oct. 14-16.”
NC Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Veterinarian Emily Herring said the program is largely meant to help pet owners in western North Carolina keep their animals safe from the disease.
“The best way to prevent rabies is to avoid contact with wild animals and ensure pets are vaccinated against rabies,” she said, “Through this annual oral rabies vaccine distribution and the vigilance of pet owners, we can work to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.”
The baits consist of a sachet or plastic packet that contains an oral vaccine, which protects animals against rabies virus when consumed. To attract raccoons, the packets are sprinkled with a fishmeal coating or encased inside hard fishmeal–polymer blocks roughly the size of a matchbox. When a raccoon bites into a bait, the vaccine packet is punctured, and the vaccine enters the none-the-wiser animal’s mouth and activates its immune system to produce antibodies. This protects the animal from becoming infected with rabies.
No studies have been done on whether the rabies vaccine is associated with higher autism rates in raccoons.
Here’s some good news from state officials: Intact baits won’t harm people, pets or wildlife. But if you find a tasty morsel that dropped from the sky, don’t eat it.
The USDA Wildlife Services has issued the following precautions if you or your pets encounter a bait. They did not provide instructions on how pet owners can convey these instructions to their pets:
- If you or your pet find a bait, leave it where you found it unless it is on your lawn, driveway or other area unlikely to attract raccoons in which case you can move the bait to an area of thicker cover where raccoons are more likely to find it and pets are less likely to encounter it.
- Wear gloves or use a towel if you pick up bait. While there’s no harm in touching undamaged baits, they have a strong fishy smell.
- Eating the baits won’t harm your pet but consuming several baits might temporarily upset your pet’s stomach.
- Don’t try to remove an oral rabies vaccine packet from your pet’s mouth since you could be bitten.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water if there’s any chance the vaccine packet has ruptured.
- Instruct children to leave baits alone. If a bait is ingested by a child or adult, contact your local health department or call the phone number listed on the bait (1-877-722-6725).
So far, in the long history of the program, the state has never received a report of a human ingesting a bait packet.
One last thing: Broken or ruptured baits are ineffective and should be disposed of by using gloves to place the bait in a bag and then into a regular trash bin. Anyone who comes into contact with the bait’s liquid vaccine should thoroughly wash their hands using soap and water, then call the phone number listed on the bait or their local health department for further instructions and referral.
