Prevention of Raccoon Rabies - Study of vaccine coverage among raccoons in Montérégie

QUÉBEC CITY, Oct. 5, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - After dropping and spreading nearly 550,000 raccoon rabies vaccine bait capsules in August and September of this year, the Québec Government will carry out a survey of vaccine coverage from October 9 to 20 next, in 28 municipalities in the Montérégie region. 

The purpose of the survey is to assess the effectiveness of the raccoon rabies vaccination operation, which took place in Montérégie, the Eastern Townships and Montreal's major parks with the aim of maintaining and strengthening rabies immunization among wild raccoon, skunk and fox populations.

Details
Teams from the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) will install cages in the natural habitats of raccoons (woodlots, watercourse banks and the edges of fields) over an area of 573 km², in order to capture live raccoons.

Blood samples will be taken from the captured raccoons to check their level of immunity against rabies. The animals will then be released in the vicinity of the capture site. It is important to note that:

• The animals will always be handled by animal health professionals, under MFFP supervision.
• The cages comply with international trapping standards.
• The cages will be checked daily, and any animal of a non-targeted species that is captured accidentally will immediately be released at the capture site.

Advice for citizens during the survey
To ensure the success of the operation and to protect themselves against raccoon rabies, citizens in the municipalities concerned are asked to follow these instructions:

• Keep pets indoors or under supervision, to prevent them from being captured in the cages. Any pets that are captured will be released by the MFFP teams.
• Do not approach a cage and never attempt to free a captured animal. If necessary, call the telephone number shown on the cage, or call 1 877 346-6763.

Important reminders
Rabies is a deadly disease that can be spread to humans by infected animals. People can therefore contract rabies from pets that are infected by virus-carrying wild animals.

• If, at any time, you are bitten or scratched by an animal or come into contact with its saliva, clean the wound, however minor it may seem, for 10 minutes using soap and water, and contact Info-Santé immediately by dialling 811, to obtain proper medical assistance.
• If you live in an enhanced surveillance area, you can play an important role in helping to prevent raccoon rabies by reporting dead raccoons, skunks and foxes, and any wild animals that are disoriented, injured, unusually aggressive or paralyzed. You may do this by contacting the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs at 1 877 346-6763 or by completing the online form at rageduratonlaveur.gouv.qc.ca.
• Never approach an unknown animal, whether wild or domesticated, even if it looks harmless.
• See your vet to have your pet animals vaccinated against rabies.
• Take steps to avoid attracting wild animals onto your property, for example by putting garbage cans out of reach of wild animals.
• Do not relocate unwanted wild animals. Relocation can spread diseases such as rabies to other areas.
• Consult a vet if your pet is bitten by or comes into contact with a wild animal or an animal that may be able to transmit rabies.

For additional information on raccoon rabies in Québec: rageduratonlaveur.gouv.qc.ca.

Source:
Nicolas Bégin
Media Relations
Direction des communications
Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs
418 627-8609, ext. 3061

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