Raccoon rabies continues to be a concern in the Hamilton, Ontario area. After being eradicated in Ontario for years over a decade, raccoon rabies snuck back into the province late last year. Intensive surveillance and baiting efforts by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) continue.  Almost half a million oral rabies vaccine baits have been distributed in the area since the beginning of April to try to vaccinate local wildlife.  Animal owners can do their part to help by making sure their pets’ vaccinations are up-to-date, keeping pets away from wildlife, and reporting suspicious wildlife to local animal control.

Here is the latest control zone and case plot, as well as the current baiting map.  As of April 19, 90 cases of raccoon-variant rabies have been detected (61 in raccoons, and 29 in skunks).

The time series of maps can be found on the OMAFRA rabies website .

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