Oral Rabies Vaccine Project

The Oral Rabies Vaccination Program is for the immunization or raccoons in the wild. the purpose of the program is to create a barrier to prevent raccoon rabies from spreading further west.

The ORV Program is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other organizations.

2005†*

• 305,173 baits were aerially distributed between August 09 - 16, 2005, 2005

County	ORV Baits
Buchanan	74,403
Dickenson	47,640
Lee	6,782
Norton City	1,288
Russell	53,760
Scott	76,628
Tazewell	5,110
Washington	4,615
Wise	34,947
Total	305,173

2004†

• 353,773 baits were aerially distributed between
  Aug. 9 – 18, 2004
• 11,880 baits were distributed by hand on
  August 31, 2004

County	ORV Baits
Buchanan	91,096
Dickenson	53,037
Lee	6,461
Norton City	643
Russell	60,610
Scott	95,213
Tazewell	6,608
Washington	5,887
Wise	34,218
Total	353,773

†Data provided by the National Rabies Management Program,
 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
*Provisional Data

How to Protect Yourself and Your Family

• Do not feed, touch, or adopt wild animals, and be cautious of stray dogs and cats. Rabid animals do not always appear vicious!
• Teach children to leave wildlife alone. Be sure your child knows to tell you if an animal bites or scratches them
• Have your dogs, cats, and ferrets vaccinated against rabies. Keep the vaccinations up to date.
• Tightly close garbage cans. Open trash will attract wild or stray animals to your home or yard.
• Do not leave pet food outside because this may attract wild or stray animals to your home or yard.
• Call your doctor for advice if an animal bites you. Report the incident to your local health department.

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