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Thursday, May 17, 2012
What You Can Do
- Have your pets vaccinated against rabies.
- If you are bitten by any animal, get medical attention and report the bite to Public Health.
- Avoid contact with wild animals, especially raccoons and bats.
Rabies Control
The Rabies Control Program quarantines dogs, cats, and ferrets involved in biting incidents to ensure that the animal did not transmit rabies to the bite victim. Biting animals are not released from quarantine until proof of rabies vaccination by a veterinarian registered with Public Health is provided. Laboratory tests of wild animals also are conducted when necessary.
Common Questions
- Is rabies really a problem in Montgomery County?
- Yes and no. Rabies is a fatal disease for which there is no cure and rabid wild animals are discovered in Montgomery County nearly every year (4 bats in 2007, 2 bats in 2008). But rabies is preventable through vaccination of pets, quarantining and/or testing of bite animals and post-exposure shots for bite victims when necessary. These control measures have been very successful: there have been no human or domestic animal rabies cases in Montgomery County for many years.
- If a family member gets bitten by our pet, should I report it?
- Yes. To protect the public health, state law requires that all potential rabies exposures need to be monitored by the local health authority.
- What if the “bite” was only a scratch?
- It should still be reported. The rabies virus can be spread if the animal’s saliva enters any wound with broken skin, so animal scratches are treated as potential rabies exposures.
Additional Resources
- Ohio Department of Health
- Information on state-wide rabies statistics and lab testing of animals.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control
- Information on rabies basics, US and international rabies occurrence.
- Montgomery County Animal Resource Center
- Information on control of stray or dangerous animals.
Downloadable Files
Contact Us
Phone: (937) 225-4362
Fax: (937) 496-3072
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Public Health in the Community
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)
April 21st-28th is National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW).
The goal of the Immunization Program is to increase awareness about immunizations across the life span, from infants to the elderly. NIIW is the perfect time to remind family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to immunize their children, as well as catch up on their own vaccinations.
Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County holds outreach clinics for children each month.
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Contact
PHDMC
Reibold Building
117 South Main Street
Dayton, OH 45422-1280
937-225-4395
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© 2012 Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County
