Oral rabies vaccine program begins Tuesday in Columbiana County

LISBON — The Columbiana County Health Department along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will distribute Oral Rabies Vaccine baits in the county starting today through Sept. 19.

The ORV baits will be distributed in 14 eastern Ohio counties along with areas on the corridor of the Ohio River in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Baits will be distributed by plane in rural areas of the county and ground baiting by health departments in urban and suburban neighborhoods. A helicopter will also target urban and suburban areas, parks and preserves.

Residents who find an ORV bait are urged to leave it alone, unless it is unsafe because it is near where children or pets play. To move the baits safely, wear gloves or use a barrier when picking them up, and toss the intact baits into a wooded area or other raccoon habitat. For information, contact the rabies information line at 1-614-752-1387 or the Columbiana County Health Department at 330-424-0272.