Overview
- Harford County has launched an Oral Rabies Vaccination pilot that will place over 15,000 bait units containing the Raboral V‑RG vaccine across parks and neighborhoods to target raccoons.
- Officials described two bait types made of fishmeal and polymer that house a liquid vaccine packet or a wax‑coated condiment‑style packet that must be bitten for the animal to be immunized.
- Anne Arundel and Carroll counties have newly confirmed rabies cases in wild and domestic animals, including a raccoon, a bat and a kitten, and health departments are conducting exposure assessments and asking anyone who may have touched those animals to call provided hotlines.
- Public guidance stresses that people should not handle baits or wild animals, that pets keep up‑to‑date rabies shots, and that anyone with a possible exposure seek immediate medical evaluation because rabies is almost always fatal without prompt treatment.
- Raboral V‑RG is a recombinant oral vaccine used in wildlife programs nationwide and has been used in Anne Arundel County since 1998, and officials say the Harford ground‑team rollout will help break local transmission chains and reduce the need for human and pet post‑exposure interventions.