Almost 230,000 baits will be distributed in all municipalities with employees on foot and in vehicles.

Raccoons in Ontario have been free of rabies since September 2005. The number is in line with annual occurrences in the county, which have range from about 20 to 40 reported cases in recent years.

So far this year 16 animals in Erie County have tested positive for rabies.

Rabies vaccines will start falling from the sky and public health officials in Jefferson and Lewis counties say if you find one, don’t touch it. Plastic packets containing vaccine are enclosed in fishmeal-scented blocks to attract raccoons.

Exposure to the bait is not harmful to pets or humans. “Rabies remains a very serious disease as it is almost always fatal once symptoms are evident”.

Public health officials offered some recommendations. If it’s somewhere where children and pets are, pick it up with gloves or a paper towel and toss it somewhere else. You should WASH YOUR HANDS IMMEDIATELY if you do come into direct contact with the vaccine or bait, then call the New York State Department of Health Rabies Information Line at 1-888-574-6656.

Confine dogs and cats indoors and observe leash laws during the bait distribution and for one week afterward. Most baits are eaten within four days and nearly all baits will be gone within a week.

A wildlife baiting rabies vaccination initiative is scheduled to begin on August 17, the Erie County Commissioner of Health is saying.

There were only 18 cases of rabies diagnosed in Ontario in 2014. In 2001, 48 cases were reported in wild animals.