MASSACHUSETTS ORAL RABIES VACCINATION PROGRAM

• Sponsoring Institution: Cooperating Schools of Veterinary Medicine
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: STATE
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0213233
• Project Start Date: Nov 1, 2007
• Project End Date: Jun 30, 2008
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
200 WESTBORO ROAD
N. GRAFTON,MA 01536

Performing Department
ENVIRONMENTAL & POPULATION HEALTH

Non Technical Summary
The Cape Cod Oral Rabies Vaccination Program was established in 1993. The original goal of the project was to prevent the spread of rabies onto Cape Cod. For 10 years, we were successful in keeping raccoon rabies off Cape Cod despite epizootic challenge. In March of 2004 a breach in the vaccine barrier to Cape Cod was identified. The goal will be to reduce the prevalence of rabies and, over the longer term, eradicate rabies from Cape Cod. Continuation of the Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) Program at this stage has several long-term benefits for public health in Massachusetts and the rest of the US. Massachusetts has the nations' longest continuously running ORV project. The rabies vaccination program is an example of efficient and effective cooperation of local, state, private and federal agencies working together for the benefit of the public health and animal health.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
722	0830	1170	100%

Knowledge Area
722 - Zoonotic Diseases and Parasites Affecting Humans;

Subject Of Investigation
0830 - Wild animals;

Field Of Science
1170 - Epidemiology;

Keywords

massachusetts

cape cod

rabies

oral vaccination

oral rabies vaccination

zoonotic disease

vaccine barrier

vaccine baiting

raccoon

skunk

Goals / Objectives
Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TCSVM) established The Cape Cod Oral Rabies Vaccination Program (CCORVP) in 1993, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and USDA Wildlife Services. The original goal of the project was to prevent the spread of rabies onto Cape Cod. For 10 years, from the first vaccine distribution in May 1994 to March 2004, we were successful in keeping raccoon rabies off Cape Cod despite epizootic challenge. We also succeeded in achieving the highest vaccination rates in raccoons for any vaccine program in the country. In March of 2004 a breach in the vaccine barrier to Cape Cod was identified, due to many factors including the possible role of skunks in the transmission cycle of raccoon rabies. Response to this initial breach in the vaccine barrier was rapid, and included many multi-agency coordinated actions. The Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) project will continue to assess the various factors involved in the breach of the vaccine barrier and the effectiveness of the initial response, in order to better prevent future barrier weakness, and to formulate the best response strategies. Our goals in Phase I - response to the breach - are to 1) reduce to zero rabies cases in all effected Cape Cod towns, and 2) maintain a vaccinated area for at least 2 years beyond the detection of the last rabies case in the area. Rabies eradication has been defined as zero cases occurring for 2 years in an area. The goals of Phase II - reestablishment of a mainland vaccination barrier to maintain a rabies-free Cape Cod - are 1) establish a barrier to the spread of rabies to Cape Cod by creating an area of vaccinated raccoons, adjacent to the Canal, 2) stop vaccinating areas on Cape Cod in stages as the barrier on the mainland expands (target of 3 years after last rabies case for complete withdrawal of vaccine distribution from the Cape), and 3) rabies eradication in 10 mile radius on mainland side of Cape Cod canal. The goals of Phase III - expansion of a mainland vaccination barrier to eradicate rabies in adjacent towns - are 1) advance rabies vaccination zone into rabies enzootic areas by adding 10 miles in width to a 30 mile wide vaccine zone each year, 2) stop vaccinating areas on trailing edge of vaccine zone (ideally 10 miles per year). In Phase IV - eradication of rabies statewide - the goal is to keep advancing vaccination zone until all of Massachusetts is rabies free.

Project Methods
With the goals of reducing the numbers of rabies cases and, over the longer term, eradicating rabies from Cape Cod, we will use the following tools: rabies vaccine baiting of wildlife, enhanced disease surveillance of wildlife(see attached addendum), improved program partner coordination and communication, risk communication and public education, emergency response planning. 1. At least one vaccine distribution (in the fall) and preferably two distributions over as large an area of Cape Cod as possible, given bait purchase constraints. Recent improvements in vaccine packaging will be tested for impact on vaccination rates and rabies case incidence 2. Coordination of activities of towns, county government, and volunteers for both vaccine distribution, and rabies surveillance.

Progress 11/01/07 to 06/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: In 2007 we distributed vaccine over the same 10 town area as in 2006, in a zone extending from the Barnstable-Yarmouth line east through Provincetown. For 2007, a total of approximately 132,000 vaccine-baits units were distributed over the eastern half of the Cape. Ground distribution of baits consisted of both formulations for a total of 112,984 baits. Of these 107,584 were distributed by hand. Fixed location bait stations were again placed in one segment of the town of Yarmouth where due to very high human population density it is particularly difficult to achieve the desired bait density with the traditional hand baiting techniques. Priority was placed on saturating the entire baiting zone in as short a time as possible. Continued efforts in organization and pre-planning allowed us to meet our goals of completing each ground baiting distribution within 5 days. USDA Wildlife Services continued its enhanced wildlife rabies surveillance work, actively collecting and submitting as many sick or dead rabies vector wildlife species for rabies testing as possible, in order to continue to monitor rabies case prevalence throughout the Cape. In 2007 rabies positivity rates in both skunks and raccoons were significantly reduced over those in 2006. From January 1 to December 31 2007, only five animals, all raccoons, tested positive for rabies out of 205 total testable submissions (excluding bats) from Cape Cod. For the third consecutive year no domestic animals tested positive for rabies out of 51 domestic animals submitted. The overall rabies case positivity rate went from 33.8% in 2006 to only 2.4% in 2007. The positivity rate also continued the downward trend seen in 2006 with a drop between the first and second halves of the year from 4.1% to1.5%. In skunks there were no positive animals out of 22 submitted for the year. No species, wildlife or domestic, besides raccoons, tested positive during 2007. In 2007 there were a total of 34 calls concerning humans or dogs finding baits. In 12 cases there was no direct contact with the liquid vaccine, in only 7 cases was there human exposure to the vaccine, and in 23 cases there was known or suspected dog exposure to the liquid vaccine. Bait contact sites are noted and this information used by the baiters in future baiting sessions to improve techniques to further minimize contacts with bait. To our knowledge, no adverse effects from vaccine exposure have occurred this year or any other year in Massachusetts. In addition to the letters to area health officials and veterinarians we communicate with the public in several ways to inform them of upcoming bait distributions and what to do when a bait unit is found. Prior to each baiting a press release is sent to area newspapers, TV and radio stations. We provide fliers to the local health departments to provide notices to schools and to place in town offices. Some schools print information to send home with the students. In addition we place our information sheets on the TCSVM website at (http://tufts.edu/vet/wildlife/orv.html). PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The dramatic decrease in positivity rate in 2007 possibly reflects several factors continuing from 2006 which may have resulted in enough vaccinated animals in the population to slow overall transmission rates. Despite the spread of rabies on the Cape, no domestic animals tested positive for rabies in 2007. This marks the third full year with no domestic animal rabies cases in Barnstable County in spite of the ongoing epizootic. Since domestic animals provide the most common link for exposure between rabid wildlife and humans, this result is a measure of the success of continued efforts by local and state health departments and Oral Rabies Vaccination Program on Cape Cod to educate the public about protecting themselves and their pets from rabies exposures, and the efforts of this program to reduce rabies exposures through the oral vaccination of wildlife. In spite of over 100,000 baits being distributed we received only 34 calls reporting human or domestic pet bait contact. Most people with contact knew about the oral rabies vaccine program already and most had received correct information after contact indicating that our public communication program is effective.

Publications

• No publications reported this period