PENNSYLVANIA State tries earlier baiting to prevent spread of rabies

Counties to get the vaccine-laced bait early include Lawrence and Mercer.
SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) -- The state was scheduled to begin dropping thousands of rabies vaccine-laced treats from airplanes today with hopes of stopping the spread of the potentially deadly disease.
It is the third year Pennsylvania has taken part in a federal baiting program, but it is the first time the aggressive efforts have begun in the spring.
Federal and state officials are trying to determine if moving the vaccine drops forward in the year will deliver improvements to what is already considered a successful program.
The drop was to begin Monday but was postponed because of a fatal plane crash at an Ohio airport, where the baiting planes were to take off.
Pilots hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will drop an estimated 277,000 Fig Newton cookie-sized treats in the counties of Indiana, Somerset, Westmoreland, Cambria, Beaver, Mercer, Lawrence and Fayette counties.
Border's importance
Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties were included in the study because they could serve as a barrier along the Ohio border. Ohio has had a baiting program in place since 1998 that has virtually wiped out rabies, said Craig Swope, western district supervisor for the USDA Wildlife Services.
The sealed, plastic packages contain a fish-scented bait that attracts raccoons. A bite into the pellet inside delivers the vaccine and a snack. The packets are dropped in sparsely populated, wooded areas.
Since the program began in 2002, there has been a 50 percent decline in rabies cases within treated areas, Swope said.
Planes with vaccine bait will fly over Allegheny County later in August and September. The program in Allegheny County, the first urban county to participate in the program, has significantly reduced rates in all animals, "especially raccoons," said Guillermo Cole, spokesman for the Allegheny County Health Department.
The early baiting program is expected to run through April 30, but may end earlier if there is good weather.
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