Texas is currently dropping nearly 700,000 live-virus rabies vaccine baits from planes across 19 border counties in Texas.
These small, fish-scented plastic packets (resembling ketchup pouches) contain RABORAL V-RG—a genetically engineered live vaccinia virus (closely related to the historical smallpox vaccine virus) that actively replicates inside any animal that consumes it.
This should alarm every Texan concerned about human health:
• The CDC directly states that these baits place people “at risk for vaccine exposure and vaccine virus infection.”
• Confirmed human infections have already occurred: individuals who handled ruptured baits or removed them from pets’ mouths developed vaccinia lesions and illness. These cases, documented in medical literature and CDC reports, are especially dangerous for the immunocompromised, pregnant women, people with eczema or open skin conditions, and young children.

• The virus sheds for weeks after ingestion. Studies detect viral DNA in oral and rectal swabs, with a documented resurgence of shedding between days 17 and 34—meaning infected animals can transmit the vaccine virus to other wildlife, potentially spreading it through saliva, feces, shared water, soil, and the broader environment.
• Exposure pathways are very real: pets carrying baits home, children playing in yards or parks, hikers encountering residue, or anyone coming into indirect contact with contaminated surfaces or animal waste.