WATERBURY– In response to a significant increase in rabies cases among wild animals in Vermont, state and federal officials are planning a rabies vaccine bait drop beginning May 2.
Rabies activity has risen sharply in recent years, with 66 rabid animals reported in both 2024 and 2025, more than double the previous annual average number of cases. So far this year, 16 rabies cases have been reported. Most recent cases have been concentrated in Orleans County, though several other northern counties have been affected.
“With rabies activity rising, rabies vaccine bait drops are an increasingly important tool to protect people and animals,” said Natalie Kwit, DVM, state public health veterinarian with the Health Department.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will coordinate the bait drop with the Vermont departments of Health and Fish and Wildlife.
Over the next month, baited vaccine designed to attract raccoons and skunks will be distributed across 10 counties by airplane in rural areas, helicopter in suburban areas, and by hand in residential areas.
In this area bait drops are planned in Cabot, Calais, Craftsbury, Greensboro, Marshfield, Plainfield, Wolcott and Woodbury.
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 seen 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:
Call the Vermont Rabies Hotline (1-800-4-RABIES) if you see a sick or strangely behaving animal, or wake up to a bat in your sleeping area.
Do not touch or handle wild or stray animals, including young mammals. Learn more about what to do when you encounter a stray animal from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound well with soap and water and contact your health care provider.
Make sure pets 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 brings one home.
