Wildlife Rabies Vaccinations Continue Due to Cases in Neighboring Countries
Estonia is in the process of applying for a rabies-free designation, but it is going ahead with vaccine sowing this spring due to cases in neighboring countries.
Over five tons of baits will be sown along the eastern and southern borders to vaccinate foxes and raccoon dogs, the species most affected by the invariably fatal viral disease.
Two aircraft have been conducting three or four drop missions a day - typically a plane flying at 200 kph will drop pellets at an interval of two seconds, uudised.err.ee reported. The vaccination drops affect one-fifth of Estonia's territory. The doses are harmless to humans.
Latvia has continued to see sporadic cases despite similar vaccination campaigns. In Russia, the disease is still considered an epidemic and thus the vaccination program is focusing on Võru County and Põlva County in particular, which border the eastern neighbor's Pskov oblast.
