Tasty snacks containing rabies vaccine will be distributed in the southern part of Quebec in hopes of keeping that province free of rabies. There has been an outbreak of the fatal disease in New York state and officials want to keep it from crossing the border.
Planes will drop hundreds of thousands of the snacks in wooded areas and government employees will distribute the bait by hand in towns, marshes and abandoned farm buildings. A total of 600,000 doses will be distributed.
Campaign successful so far
The main target of the vaccination campaign is raccoons, but officials would be happy if the treats are also eaten by other wildlife like skunks and foxes.
The campaign has been conducted annually in Quebec and has been successful in that the last reported case of rabies was in 2009.
Rabies can be transmitted to humans through bites from infected animals. Treatment must be started immediately. Once a person shows symptoms of the disease it is almost always fatal.
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