F

Once again, a government coalition of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Service and the Tennessee Department of Health are joining forces to battle raccoon rabies in East Tennessee.

The effort is part of an Multi-state operation to deliver the rabies vaccine to trash pandas throughout the Southern Appalachian Region.

In Tennessee more than 300,000 of the vaccine baits will be dropped by planes and helicopters over mountainous regions – or foothills – from Chattanooga to Bristol.

The mission will last until April 19, and the following counties will be targeted with oily, fishy-smelling baits that will attract raccoons and help prevent the spread of rabies.

The following counties will be bombarded with vaccine-laced raccoon appetizers: Bradley, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamilton, Johnson, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington.

Helicopters will be utilized in urban areas for more precisely targeted raccoon-life saving canapés. The following cities will face the fishy blitz: Bristol, Chattanooga, Elizabethton, Erwin, Johnson City and Mountain City.

In Chattanooga, the baits will also be distributed by car. Officials did not indicate whether the cars would be playing jaunty, raccoon friendly music – like a Procyon lotor-friendly ice cream man.

Why is this effort important?

In addition to saving the lives of presumably thousands of raccoons, the positive results lessen the spread of the potentially deadly, but certainly harmful to humans disease.

Per the Center for Disease Control, rabies primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start.

This program helps to prevent infections in raccoons, which also prevents the spread to other animals including bats, skunks and foxes. It also lessens the instances of a wild animal passing infections along to pets and subsequently humans.

Still, per the CDC, each year, around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against rabies after a potential rabies exposure.

The baits that are being dropped are harmless to dogs and cats, unless – presumably – one of them were to be unluckily struck by falling bait. The baits are also harmless to humans, but humans are encourage to leave them alone.

If contact with baits occurs, USDA says to rinse the contact area with warm water and soap.