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RACCOON VACCINATION WILL START APRIL 18, 2006 Starting on April 18, 2006 and continuing for the remainder of that week depending on weather the United States Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will begin vaccinating raccoons for rabies in Lake and Geauga County and parts of Cuyahoga, Portage, and Summit County. The Lake County General Health District will be assisting with the vaccination program in Lake County. A raccoon is vaccinated by eating bait containing the vaccine. Both ground baiting (using vehicles in more densely populated areas) and aerial baiting (using an airplane in rural areas) will be used. On average, one bait is found for every 3.3 acres covering a total of 1,149 square miles. The bait is not harmful to humans, pets, or livestock. The bait is made of fishmeal, an ingredient in animal feed, so it is not harmful to touch intact bait. If you find intact bait near your home, leave it alone. However, if the bait is out in the open or where contact by pets or children is possible, put on gloves and toss it into deeper cover. If the bait is broken open or damaged, wear gloves or protect your hands by using a paper towel or plastic bag before picking it up and discarding it. Important Reminders: · Keep dogs and cats inside or on leashes for several days after your area has been baited. Most bait will be gone in about three days. · Tell your children about the raccoon vaccination program and tell them to leave any bait alone. · Do not attempt to take bait away from your pet! That is the same as taking food away from an animal. You may be bitten. · Baits may be picked up while wearing gloves, or with a plastic bag or towel. · Do not handle partially eaten or damaged bait with bare hands. · Damaged baits should be placed in a baggie and disposed of in normal trash. · If you touch the bait or the liquid vaccine (a red fluid inside the bait), thoroughly wash your hands or exposed skin with soap and water. For more information, please contact the Ashtabula County Health Department at (440) 576-6010, or visit www.ashtabulacountyhealth.com and www.odh.state.oh.us. How can I protect my pet from rabies? Be a responsible pet owner: Make sure all pet dogs, cats and ferrets have their shots and that the shots are up to date. This will keep your pets from getting rabies and will protect you if an animal with rabies bites your pet. Watch your pets so they do not come in contact with wild animals. Go to a veterinarian right away if a wild animal bites your pet. Call your local animal control agencies if there are stray animals in your neighborhood. Spay or neuter your pets (get them "fixed") so there are less unwanted pets that may not be taken care of correctly. What is the rabies vaccine like? The most effective rabies prevention is immediate thorough cleansing of the animal bite or scratch with large amounts of soap and water. You should see a doctor as soon as possible after you have been bitten or scratched by an animal. The doctor may order that you will then be given an injection (shot) of rabies immune globulin (your dose will depend on how much you weigh) and five doses of human rabies vaccine given in the arm on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28 after you have been bitten or scratched. What is being done about the local rabies problem? The Ashtabula County Health Department has a state-sponsored Rabies program that includes the following activities:
· Education:
Fact Sheets, newspaper articles, etc. If you have questions on any of these activities, please call the Ashtabula County Health Department at (440) 576-6010 for more information.
For more information contact: For
addition information on rabies view the Rabies
in the Midwest
presentation.
You can also view this presentation in PDF format here. If you "right-click" on the link and choose "Save Target As..." you can save this file for local viewing.
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