A PROACTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGY FOR RACCOON RABIES IN ONTARIO, CANADA

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies was extremely close to the Ontario-New York state international boundary during 1994. Therefore a proactive p lan was developed to prevent the disease from becoming established in Ontario. A contingency plan was designed for the Niagara Region, where raccoon rabies was most likely to enter Ontario, The plan was intende d to prevent raccoon rabies from entering Ontario, provide early detec tion of the disease, allow for rapid implementation of control tactics , facilitate effective communication about raccoon rabies to the publi c and appropriate agencies, and contain any outbreak of raccoon rabies .