NORTH LIMA, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin distributing oral rabies vaccine baits for wildlife in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties starting Monday, Aug. 18.

The effort is part of the USDA’s National Rabies Management Program, which seeks to prevent the westward spread of the rabies virus, most often carried by raccoons. The program creates a barrier along the Appalachian Mountains from the Canadian border to Alabama.

The project, based out of North Lima, will run from Aug. 18 through Sept. 9. Approximately 474,000 baits will be distributed in Ohio alone.

The vaccine, called ONRAB, is contained in a blister pack and coated in a waxy green substance with a sugar-vanilla scent. The odor attracts animals like raccoons, which are then immunized against rabies after eating the bait.

Distribution will begin Monday, when helicopters will drop baits in urban and suburban areas of Mahoning County and parts of Trumbull County, including Youngstown, Boardman, Campbell, Canfield, Cortland, Girard, Lordstown, Mahoning, Salem and Warren.

Beginning Aug. 25, USDA staff will distribute baits by vehicle in towns including Hubbard, Lisbon, Warren and Youngstown. From approximately Sept. 4 to Sept. 9, fixed-wing airplanes will distribute baits in rural areas of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including large portions of Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Officials urge residents to leave the baits undisturbed if found. If a person has contact with a bait, they should immediately rinse the area with warm water and soap. People should not attempt to remove a bait from an animal's mouth.

According to Mahoning County Public Health, if a person finds a bait where children or pets play, they should wear gloves or use a paper towel or plastic bag to pick up the bait and toss it into a wooded area. Damaged baits should be bagged and disposed of in the trash.

Ingesting the bait will not harm pets, but eating a large number may cause vomiting or diarrhea, which should be self-limiting. If a pet eats a bait, residents should avoid the animal's saliva for 24 hours.

Rabies is a virus that infects the central nervous system in mammals and is almost always fatal if left untreated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 90% of reported rabies cases in the U.S. are in wildlife. People are advised not to make contact with or feed wildlife and to keep pet vaccinations current.

For more information, residents can call the Rabies Information Line at 1-888-574-6656.