Pecos Portion of DSHS Annual Texas Rabies Vaccine Airdrop Begins Monday

Texas Department of State Health Services Oral Rabies Vaccination Program airdrop of rabies vaccine to immunize gray foxes.

Pecos portion of West-Central Texas project begins at daybreak Monday, Jan. 12.

Pecos Municipal Airport, Pecos.

Texas Department of State Health Services assisted by Texas AgriLife Extension Wildlife Services; U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Texas National Guard; U.S. Army Veterinary Laboratory; Dynamic Aviation Group; and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Continue efforts to control rabies carried by gray foxes in West-Central Texas to reduce human exposure. West-Central Texas program for gray foxes follows completion of airdrop of rabies vaccine to immunize coyotes in South Texas.

Some 2.46 million dog food baits containing an oral rabies vaccine are being dropped from specially equipped King Air planes from Dynamic Aviation Group, flying at 500 feet. Baits will be dropped over portions of 30 West-Central Texas counties to immunize gray fox against rabies and reduce the threat of the deadly disease to domestic animals and humans.

Baits are being air-dropped over portions of the following West-Central Texas counties: Concho, Crane, Culberson, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Irion, Jeff Davis, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Loving, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Regan, San Saba, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Tom Green, Upton, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler.

More information, including project updates, available at: www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/orvp/.

After the Pecos project is completed, operations will move to Del Rio around Jan. 19. Operations at the Kimble County Airport in Junction will continue throughout January.