The best way to prevent an outbreak is to be proactive against it.
That is the goal of the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program in El Paso, which is targeting area coyotes and foxes.
Dr. Ken Waldrup, a zoonosis control veterinarian with the Texas Department of State Health Services, is head of the program that distributed a special bait containing a vaccine that is 75 percent effective and attractive to coyotes and foxes, last week in the El Paso area.
Of thousands of baits spread out in the Franklin Mountains and Rio Grande riverbanks, hundreds were circulated in the Northeast in Hitt Canyon, past Martin Luther King Blvd.
“Normally when we distribute it, we drop it out of an airplane,” Waldrup said. “Here we are basically throwing it under any cover we can find.”
The bait is a hollow hard shell with an inner plastic pouch that contains the vaccine. Once bitten, the pouch will break and enough of the vaccine will enter the animal’s mouth and begin replicating.
“They are attracted to the scent and will come get it,” Waldrup said. “It is not like the vaccines a pet can get from a vet, but it is definitely better than nothing.”
The effort, which began two years ago, is a preventive measure against a rabies virus that began in Arizona and spread into southwestern New Mexico.
“We are trying to create a small buffer zone to prevent what happened in New Mexico,” Waldrup said. “The numbers have gone down in New Mexico, so this may be the last time we do this in El Paso.”
While the vaccine is meant for wild coyotes, foxes and raccoons, it will not harm a domestic dog. That is a relief to Northeast pet-owners such as Tyler and Audrey Tribe.
“It’s a very innovative thing,” Tyler Tribe said. “It’s a proactive approach at least.”
The couple usually takes their dog, Gambit, out for a walk each day in the North Hill Neighborhood, off Martin Luther King Blvd. Even though they had not feared the spread of rabies through wildlife, they are glad something is being done to prevent one.
Milena Magee said she does not bring her dog to the park because she doesn’t want it to catch diseases, not just from wildlife but other dogs as well.
“I know that not every dog is vaccinated properly,” she said. “I will definitely take preventive measures.”
Waldrup said even though the bait is safe for dogs, it should not be a used as a substitute for a regular vaccination. If anyone comes into contact with a bait, they should leave it where they find it, wash their hands and call 877-722-6725 to report it.
“Many people don’t realize how many foxes and coyotes we have in the El Paso metropolitan area,” he said. “I personally think it’s great, but we have to make sure they are not a threat to us.”
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