Recent news highlighted that a stray kitten in Omaha tested positive for a type of rabies that is not normally found in this part of the country.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) and other partners are all addressing this public health concern. They are focused on an area within three miles of where the kitten was found.

The USDA and its partners asked many property owners in east-central Omaha for permission to place cage traps on site. USDA staff will check each day for wild animals who come into the traps and vaccinate them against this strain of rabies. Healthy animals will then be released. Traps will be out beginning Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, for up to two weeks.

The USDA asked Omaha Public Schools for permission to use a small area at several locations, placing cages away from high-traffic areas and out of sight wherever possible. The USDA and its partners understand our commitment to student and staff safety. We agreed to be part of the solution to this community concern.

Those locations include:

• Adams Elementary
• Bancroft Elementary
• Beals Elementary
• Belle Ryan Elementary
• Benson High
• Benson West Elementary
• Blackburn
• Teacher Administrative Center (TAC)/Career Center
• Castelar Elementary
• Central High
• Central Park Elementary
• Conestoga Elementary
• Druid Hill Elementary
• Dundee Elementary
• Early Learning Center at Kennedy
• Field Club Elementary
• Franklin Elementary
• Gifford Park Elementary
• Harrison Elementary
• Integrated Learning Program
• Jackson Elementary
• Jefferson Elementary
• J.P. Lord
• Kellom Elementary
• Kennedy Elementary
• King Elementary
• King Science & Technology Middle
• Lewis & Clark Middle
• Liberty Elementary
• Norris Middle
• North High
• Parrish
• Pine Elementary
• Omaha Public Schools Service Center
• Skinner Elementary
• Spring Lake Elementary
• Secondary Success Program
• Omaha Public Schools Transportation Center
• Omaha Public Schools Mills Building
• Walnut Hill Elementary
• Washington Elementary
• Western Hills Elementary
• Wilson Focus Elementary

While the traps will be set out of sight, do not approach it if you see one. If you have questions about the traps or this public health effort, please call the USDA at (603) 223-9623. If you are a homeowner near the schools listed above and interested in having a trap set on your property, contact the DCHD at (402) 444-3400 or USDA at the number above.