WATERBURY, VT – The annual rabies vaccine bait drop will begin on Aug. 1 to continue combating rising rabies rates in Vermont wildlife. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, in coordination with the Vermont departments of Health and Fish & Wildlife, will conduct the drops.
The August rabies bait distribution will deliver approximately 915,700 rabies vaccine baits in areas of Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans and Washington Counties, as well as parts of New York and New Hampshire.
“Vaccinating wildlife against rabies remains an important tool to help protect people and animals, and slow the spread of rabies in Vermont,” said Natalie Kwit, DVM, state public health veterinarian with the Health Department.
Rabies activity has risen sharply in recent years, with 66 rabid animals reported in both 2024 and 2025 – more than double the previous 10-year annual average number of cases. So far this year, 36 rabies cases have been reported – including 15 raccoons, nine skunks, eight bats and three foxes. Nearly every county in Vermont has been affected, with many cases concentrated in Orleans County. Officials are working to understand why more animals are testing positive for rabies, and surveillance efforts to monitor the increase are ongoing.
Over the next month, baited vaccine – in the form of a sweet-smelling oral bait that is attractive for raccoons and skunks to eat – will be distributed across 10 counties by airplane in rural areas, helicopter in suburban areas, and by hand in residential areas. Find more information, including a full list of towns where bait will be distributed, on the Rabies Vaccine Bait Drop Fact Sheet on the Health Department’s website.
Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly if people don't receive medical care before symptoms start. It is primarily spread through the bite of an infected animal. In Vermont, the disease is most often detected in raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and woodchucks – but pets and livestock can also get rabies if they have not been vaccinated. Human rabies cases in the U.S. are most commonly caused by contact with bats.
How to protect yourself and your pets:
• If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound well with soap and water and contact your health care provider.
• Do not touch or handle wild or stray animals, even young ones. Learn more about what to do when you encounter a wild animal from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Call the Vermont Rabies Hotline (1-800-4-RABIES) if you see a sick or strangely behaving animal, are bitten by a wild animal, or wake up to a bat in your sleeping area.
• Contact local law enforcement regarding concerns about stray pets.
• Make sure pets and livestock are up to date on vaccination.
• Keep pets indoors at night and supervise them when outside.
• During the rabies bait drop, leave vaccine baits where they are and call the Rabies Hotline if a pet or child eats or brings one home.
Learn more about rabies in Vermont – visit www.HealthVermont.gov/rabies.
