Seoul to scatter rabies vaccines throughout city to immunize wildlife

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Seoul to scatter rabies vaccines throughout city to immunize wildlife

Published: 14 Oct. 2024, 16:50 Updated: 14 Oct. 2024, 19:22

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Photos of oral rabies vaccine scattered on the ground [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday said it would scatter anti-rabies medicine throughout the city to prevent the spread of the disease among wildlife.

A total of 37,000 oral rabies vaccine packets will be dropped alongside streams and on mountains in the capital through Oct. 28.

The small cube-shaped vaccine packet is coated with fish cake batter to entice wild animals. Upon consumption, the edible vaccine will immunize the animals.

The city government will deposit 15 to 20 oral rabies vaccine packets at each spot at 50 to 100-meter (164 to 328-feet) intervals. The medications will encircle the capital area along 157 kilometers (97 miles) of trails to block the flow of rabies into the city.

The rabies vaccine will be mainly dispersed in public parks, mountains and streams, including Bukhan, Dobong, Surak, Buram, Gwanak, Yongma and Umyeon mountains and Yangjae Stream, Anyang Stream, Uicheon Stream and the Tancheon, a tributary of the Han River.

A 157 kilometers long trail where rabies vaccine packets will be dispersed [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Public notices and banners will be installed at the pill-scattered spots to inform hikers that they should not touch the medications because human odor could make animals less tempted to take the vaccine.

The city also asked pet owners to use leashes during outdoor activities to prevent their pets from contacting rabies-infected wildlife. The disease can be transmitted through bites.

Pet owners are advised to report cases to the public health authority and seek medical treatment from veterinarians if their pets have contact with wildlife suspected of rabies.

When humans are bitten by animals that appear to have contracted rabies, they should wash off the affected parts for over 15 minutes with soap and immediately visit the hospital for treatment.

“The city will protect the public and pets’ health by preventing circulation of rabies among the wildlife population, which can infect both humans and livestock,” Lee Su-yeon, head of the city’s garden-city bureau, said in a press release. Lee also asked people not to engage or touch wildlife during strolls or hiking.

The city’s wildlife rabies eradication effort started in 2006 and takes place every spring and fall. Since then, no cases of wildlife-induced rabies have been reported.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]