Rabies Vaccine Bait To Be Dropped In Cocke County

Cocke County is one of the counties in Tennessee that could see some items being dropped from the sky. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with the Tennessee Department of Health, is flying over certain areas distributing rabies vaccine baits for wildlife. Those bait drops begin tomorrow in 16 counties in the eastern part of the state. Cocke County and Greene County are two of those counties. The rabies vaccine drops are eaten by wildlife such as racoons. The edible vaccines then help reduce the spread of rabies in the wildlife population. That in turn helps protect outdoor dogs and cats.

The baits are mainly dropped using small airplanes and helicopters, but they can be dropped from ground vehicles as well. The USDA says if you come across one of the these bais, simply leave it alone. These rabies vaccine bait drops are being done in the neighboring states of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia as well.