The Wood County Health Department is required to investigate bites for all reported dog, cat, ferret, or any other animal that is commonly known to transmit rabies. The animal’s owner will be notified of quarantine requirements. After quarantine, a veterinarian must examine the animal to determine good health and update its rabies vaccination.

If the bite involves a wild or stray animal, the animal may be euthanized and inspected by the Ohio Department of Health for rabies.

To report a bite, complete the Animal Bite Reporting Form.

In the United States, more than 90% of reported cases of rabies in animals occur in wildlife. The wild animals that most commonly carry rabies in the United States are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in this country; at least 7 out of 10 Americans who die from rabies in the US were infected by bats. People may not recognize a bat scratch or bite, which can be very small, but these types of contact can still spread rabies.

Pets (like cats and dogs) and livestock (like cattle and horses) can also get rabies. Nearly all the pets and livestock that get rabies had not received vaccination or were not up to date on rabies vaccination. Most pets get rabies from having contact with wildlife.

For additional information on rabies, click on these resources: 

Take the Bite out of Rabies

Animals and Rabies

Avoid Risk of Rabies from Bats 

Mosquitoes and Ticks

Vector Borne Diseases are those that require a mosquito, tick or other arthropod to transmit disease from animals to humans (e.g., Rocky Mountain spotted fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus).  The Wood County Health Department currently partners with Bowling Green State University, Department of Biological Sciences for mosquito surveillance. 
All mosquitoes collected in Wood County are sent to the Ohio Department of Health for identification.  Surveillance efforts are conducted statewide at various levels of both mosquitoes and of ticks. 

Don’t let mosquitoes bug you this year! Wood County Health Department reminds you that mosquitoes will bite day and night so protect yourself with these tips:

• Keep mosquitoes outside by shutting doors and covering windows with screens.
• Use EPA approved insect repellents every time you’re outdoors.
• Cover your skin with loose, light-colored long sleeve shirts and pants.
• Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water, just a bottle cap of water is all they need, so drain, refresh or cover anything around your home that can hold water at least weekly.
• Avoid being outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. 

Find at more at the Ohio Department of Health Zoonotic Disease page at:

• Tickborne Diseases in Ohio | Ohio Department of Health
• Be+Tick+Smart+Brochure.pdf (ohio.gov)
• Mosquito-borne Diseases in Ohio | Ohio Department of Health
• Mosquito+Brochure.pdf (ohio.gov)

For more information from the EPA: https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol