Ontario’s battle against rabies is kicking into overdrive following a surge in cases in the Hamilton area, CTV Toronto has learned.
According to Emily Kirk, a representative with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, 128 cases of racoon-strain rabies have been confirmed in racoons and skunks across southern Ontario since the outbreak was first discovered in the area in December 2015.
In March, the number of confirmed cases of rabies since the initial outbreak was 65.
The surge has prompted the province to increase the amount of anti-rabies vaccine packets distributed throughout the Hamilton area.
The ministry expects somewhere between 800,000 and one million anti-vaccine packets or ‘baits’ to be spread across southern Ontario by September.
“Hand baiting will continue until the end of this week in the area, within 50 kilometres of all confirmed cases,” Kirk told CTV Toronto in an email. “In August and September, we will re-bait the entire area to vaccinate juvenile animals.”
The baiting will be done both by hand and by helicopter, and will stretch from parts of western Toronto, Mississauga and Kitchener-Waterloo.
The CBC reported that 219,000 baits were dropped in and around the same area when efforts began in December.
By April, the province had deployed additional baits throughout Hamilton in an effort to stop the spread of the virus among raccoons and skunks.
“All of the cases have been in the rabies surveillance zone, which is good news,” Kirk said. “Surveillance will continue through July to ensure we have up-to-date information on new cases and the entire area will be re-baited in August and September.”
Two cases of fox-strain rabies were confirmed in Perth County and Kirk said the province will also re-bait a 50 kilometre radius where the cases were reported.
