Shelby County sheriff&8217;s deputies have had several run-ins the past couple of weeks with possibly rabid raccoons.

According to incident reports from the sheriff&8217;s department, deputies have shot a number of the animals just this month.

According to the Department of Public Health, raccoons are the wild animals most likely to be infected with rabies.

&8220;By immunizing raccoons against rabies, the number of animals that can serve as reservoirs of the disease and infect other wildlife, domestic animals or humans will be significantly reduced,&8221; according to information from the health department.

To that end, bait drops of oral rabies vaccination will begin soon in and around Shelby County.

The federally funded project will allow baits to be dropped from low-flying aircraft in forested and rural regions and distributed by hand in populated areas.

Distribution will take place in Shelby, Bibb, Chilton, Jefferson, Perry and Tuscaloosa counties including populated areas south of Interstate 459 and west of Interstate 65 including Alabaster, Helena and Pelham.

The project is expected to take about two weeks.

Vaccine drops have been used successfully in Alabama since November 2003 and since 1989, millions of baits have been distributed in the country without major problems.

&8220;Our goal remains stopping the spread of the raccoon rabies variant,&8221; said Dr. Mel Stephens, state public health veterinarian.

&8220;Vaccine-laced baits are protective against rabies when raccoons eat them. The public should never feed raccoons because this encourages the raccoons to come into closer contact with pets and people.&8221;

The baits will be distributed on average of one bait over an area about the size of five football fields.

The vaccination target zone is about 2,500 square miles.

According to the ADPH, immunizing raccoons against rabies will significantly reduce the number of animals that can serve as reservoirs of the disease and infect other wildlife, domestic animals or humans.

Two types of vaccine packet baits will be used both of which are &8220;tasty&8221; to raccoons.

The first type is a coated sachet bait that resembles a ketchup packet covered in brown fishmeal.

The second is a fishmeal polymer bait about the size of an ice cube. Both are labeled &8220;Rabies Vaccine: Do Not Disturb&8221; and feature a toll-free number.

The baits cannot be purchased by the general public.

The ADPH said residents and pets coming into contact with either type of bait cannot get rabies, and the public is asked not to disturb the baits if they encounter them.

However, if a bait is intact, it can be moved if it is found where children and pets play. To relocate a bait, throw it in a fencerow, wooded lot, ditch or other raccoon habitat area.

Damaged baits should be placed in a bag and discarded in the trash, according the health department.

Residents are advised to wear gloves when picking up the baits and wash their hands afterward.

Residents with questions about the bait distribution should call 1-800-677-0939