If you spot a fishy-looking ketchup packet in Prospect Park or Upper Manhattan, don’t panic: It’s part of the city’s annual effort to vaccinate raccoons against rabies.
The city’s health department is distributing oral rabies vaccines this fall in raccoon-heavy areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan to curb the spread of the deadly virus among wildlife.
Officials said 18 raccoons, one cat and one bat tested positive for rabies in New York City so far this year.
The bait packets are small, brown and fish-scented. Inside is a pink liquid vaccine that immunizes the animals when they chew it.
The baits are being dropped in wooded parks and green spaces, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the city’s parks department. The fall campaign follows a spring vaccination push in Brooklyn and Queens, where rabid raccoons have increasingly been found near the Nassau County border, officials said.
“Rabies is a serious disease that can be fatal,” said acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse in a prepared statement. “New Yorkers can do their part, too, by keeping their pets up to date on rabies vaccinations and maintaining distance from our city’s wildlife. Also, if you see an animal you believe to be behaving erratically, please call 311.”
Officials said the baits don’t pose a risk to people or pets, but the liquid inside could cause a rash if touched. If you do come into contact with the vaccine, wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
If your dog or cat picks up the bait, health officials said don’t try to snatch it away. It won’t give them rabies, but it can cause vomiting if several baits are consumed, according to the city.
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