Dropping Pungent Rabies Vaccines from the Air? Bring Some Candy

A combination of the fishy-smelling vaccine and jet fuel makes for smelly work.

By Carlos MoralesJanuary 29, 2018 9:39 am, ,

From Marfa Public Radio:

For some two weeks this month, a Texas agency took to the skies over long stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border. The reason: to drop rabies vaccines to help vaccinate the region’s wildlife. The aerial drops are part of an effort to reduce the spread of the virus in the state.

Out along rural stretches outside Alpine, Texas, small airplanes are hovering overhead. From the belly of the planes, tiny fast-food-sized packets will speed to the ground. Their contents: rabies vaccines for the region’s wildlife.

The vaccine drops are part of a state program aimed at stopping rabies in its tracks, says Dr. Laura Robinson with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

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