Efforts are continuing in the province to stop the spread of rabies in New Brunswick.
Rabies vaccines are being delivered in key areas of the province by hand and by air with more than 18,000 oral rabies vaccines being distributed by hand in the Saint John area alone.
“The city of Saint John is a high density area of people and domestic animals and wildlife so it’s a high probability that if a rabid raccoon did show up in the city that the rate of infection would spread and become more of a public health risk,” said Mike Allan, a provincial rabies coordinator.
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Allan says it’s a means of protection, with rabies having been reported about 60 kilometres west of the city.
“If it showed up here in Saint John, they would run into a buffer of vaccinated animals,” Allan explained. “That would significantly decrease the spread of the disease.”
The program appears to be working according to the numbers since the program began in 2015.
“Up to that point we had 24 cases of raccoon rabies in the province during that year and following the bait distribution in 2016 we had a single case of raccoon rabies in the Elmsville area and this year we’ve had three cases in the Waweig area so it appears our program is successful,” said Allan.
READ MORE: N.B. SPCA encouraging vaccinations after 14 cases of rabies found in Charlotte County
For the people who spend a lot of time in places like Saint John’s Rockwood Park in Saint John, it’s welcome news — even if its not at the top of their mind.
“(There are) lots of wild animals on our travels when we are walking so it is a good thing we are taking measures to try to curb it,” said Clarence Keyes, who walks his two dogs in the park daily.
“Certainly there are a lot of dogs and pets and things around,” added Emilie Murphy a Rockwood Park Naturalist. “We definitely have a concern that if rabies were to get in the area we are kind of a hot spot here.”
Once the campaign inSaint John it will continue in Charlotte County and when that is complete an aerial vaccination will take place over more rural regions.
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