What is the purpose of the Fairfax County Oral Rabies Vaccine Pilot Program?
At certain times of the year the Fairfax County Health Department distributes oral rabies vaccine to reduce the number of people exposed to rabies by preventing the spread of the rabies virus in wildlife. Oral rabies vaccine contained in fishmeal baits is targeted to raccoons, the primary carrier of terrestrial rabies on the East Coast of the United States. Who conducts the Fairfax County Oral Rabies Vaccine Pilot Program? The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech conducts the pilot program through a contract administered by the Fairfax County Health Department. The manager of the pilot program is François C. Elvinger, Dr.med.vet., Ph.D., Dipl. – ACVPM, and Associate Professor – Clinical Epidemiology. VMRCVM’s program coordinator is Lori A. Thiele, a wildlife biologist with a Master’s degree in wildlife management and five years of field experience. To learn more about the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, visit their webpag
