Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Beginning in October 1988, Texas experienced an expanding epizootic of canine rabies, in South Texas, which now involves 21 counties where a total of 678 confirmed cases (50% in coyotes, the majority of the rest in domestic dogs, with 76 "spill-over" cases found in 7 other species). Some 2,000 persons have received post-exposure rabies treatment, and there have been 2 human fatalities. The Texas Department of Health has led the initiation of an experimental program to use an oral rabies vaccine, Raboral V-RG, over the next 4-5 years with the goal of pushing the epizootic southward and eliminating it from Texas. Success in reducing rabies during 1995, when 830,000 baits were distributed over 15,000 acres, is described. Data on bait uptake and immune status of coyotes are presented.