A few months ago, members of the Texas State Guard’s (State Defense Force) 3rd Brigade once again participated in one of the state’s most important annual public health missions: the Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program, commonly known as ORVP.
Operating in Alpine and Del Rio, Texas, members of the 3rd Brigade worked alongside the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of State Health Services to help distribute 280,900 oral rabies vaccine baits across 8,956 miles along the Texas-Mexico border. This mission helps protect communities, livestock, pets, and wildlife from the spread of rabies, especially in regions where wild animals can carry and transmit dangerous rabies variants.
The ORVP is not a new mission for the Texas State Guard. The 3rd Brigade has supported this annual effort for years, demonstrating the long term value of State Defense Forces in civil support operations.
The importance of this mission cannot be overstated. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, two major rabies outbreaks involving coyotes and gray foxes began in Texas in 1988. These outbreaks posed a serious threat to people and domestic animals, and in 1994, Governor Ann Richards declared the rabies situation a state health emergency. The Texas Department of State Health Services launched ORVP in 1995 to contain and eliminate these rabies variants.
Since then, ORVP has become one of Texas’ most successful public health and wildlife disease-control programs. Annual campaigns have helped eliminate both the domestic dog coyote rabies variant and the Texas fox rabies variant from Texas, while maintaining a vaccinated wildlife barrier along the U.S. and Mexico and Texas and New Mexico borders to help prevent reintroduction.
The program is a major multi-agency effort. DSHS notes that ORVP has involved the Texas Department of State Health Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, the Texas Military Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other local, state, federal, and private partners.
For the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, the mission is a clear example of what the Texas State Guard does best: supporting Texans during missions that require disciplined personnel, logistical support, interagency coordination, and a willingness to serve and operate in distant and remote parts of Texas. Whether assisting during disasters, supporting emergency management operations, or participating in public health missions like ORVP, the Texas State Guard provides a valuable force multiplier for the State of Texas.
The oral rabies vaccine bait itself is designed for wildlife consumption. DSHS explains that aircraft drop bait coated in fish oil and fishmeal crumbles to attract target species such as coyotes and gray foxes. The goal is to maintain a zone of vaccinated wildlife that reduces the risk of rabies spreading back into Texas communities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture describes oral rabies vaccination as part of a broader “One Health” approach, bringing together human health, veterinary, wildlife, and public safety professionals to protect people, animals, and communities. USDA also notes that oral rabies vaccination programs reduce human exposure risk, post-exposure treatment costs, pet quarantines, animal testing burdens, and livestock losses.
That is why the continued participation of the Texas State Guard’s 3rd Brigade matters. Their work in Alpine, Del Rio, and along the Texas-Mexico border is not merely a support assignment. It is a public health mission, a livestock protection mission, a wildlife management mission, and a community safety mission all at once.
For years, the Texas State Guard has helped carry this mission forward. Through professionalism, reliability, and service to the people of Texas, the 3rd Brigade continues to show how State Defense Forces can make a direct and lasting difference in the lives of the citizens they serve.
Source: Texas State Guard
