Summit County Public Health, in cooperation with Pet Guards, Inc., is offering low-cost rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats. Rabies vaccines are only $10 per animal. Additional vaccinations for pets are also available at a reduced cost. Find an upcoming rabies vaccination clinic below:.
Clikc on image for pdf.
Additional low cost vaccine clinics can be found here:
Download the following resources to learn more:
page updated 08-02-2024
Regulations make it compulsory to have all dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies. All animal bites reported to Summit County Public Health are investigated. To report an animal bite,
Complete as much of the Animal Bite Reporting Form as possible, and fax to (330) 923-6436 within 24 hours.
First things first, seek medical attention. From there, the incident should be reported to SCPH so an investigation can be conducted. It’s important to provide as much information as you can to the medical provider so SCPH has no delays in the investigation.
However, there are a few different approaches SCPH takes depending on the type of animal that has bitten you, a family member, or your pet as well as if the animal is still alive or not.
In some cases the animal that has bitten, regardless if it is a domesticated animal or wild, might have died because it was sick, injured or was being put down. In this case, the animal will need to be sent for rabies testing. Call SCPH so you can talk to an Environmental Health Specialist (EHS) and they can discuss the steps that need to be taken so the animal can be tested.
Information for domesticated animal bites:
If someone’s pet has bitten you and you are able to obtain animal owner information, SCPH will be able to issue the animal into a 10 day quarantine that takes place at the pet owner’s home. Quarantine is required regardless if the pet is vaccinated against rabies or not. As long as the animal shows no sign of illness, strange behavior or doesn’t die during quarantine then we know that the transmission of rabies is not a concern.
If the animal is a stray or you were not able to obtain animal owner information, SCPH will not be able to investigate the incident, issue the animal into quarantine, or know if the animal has or has not shown signs of illness, strange behaviors or died. Therefore, SCPH would recommend that you speak with a medical professional about rabies post exposure prophylaxis. It is, however, still important to report the incident. If the animal warden catches the animal, or you are able to obtain animal owner information at a later time, please call SCPH with the information you have and we will start the investigation process.
Information for wild animal bites and bat exposures: Human and Pets
It is not uncommon to find bats in your home. However, depending on the circumstances, there could be a potential risk of rabies infection. If you find a bat in your home and you are sure no human or pet exposure has occurred, confine the bat to a room by closing all doors and windows leading out of the room except those to the outside. The bat will probably leave soon. If not, it can be caught, as described below, and released outdoors away from people and pets.
However, if there is any question of exposure, leave the bat alone and call a nuisance animal trapper for assistance. SCPH cannot assist with capturing the bat. If professional assistance is unavailable, use precautions to capture the bat safely, as described below.
What you will need:
When the bat lands, approach it slowly and place a box or coffee can over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the cardboard to the container securely. Contact SCPH as soon as possible to discuss the situation and the next steps for testing.
Humans and pets can be bitten by a wild animal; bat, raccoon, skunk, fox, coyote, etc. If you or your pet have been bitten by a wild animal seek medical treatment right away and also contact SCPH. In some cases the wild animal will be available for testing. If it is, an EHS will be able to discuss the next steps of the testing process. Testing the wild animal is the only way to know if the animal is infected with the rabies virus. If the animal is not available for testing, SCPH will recommend that you speak with a medical professional about the rabies post exposure prophylaxis. If it was your pet that was bitten or exposed, an EHS will ask you questions about your pet’s rabies vaccination status and use the code section in OAC 3701-3-29 (https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3701-3-29) to determine when your pet should be vaccinated or boosted with the rabies vaccine and how long quarantine will be for your animal.
You can still call SCPH on the weekends, you will have to leave a message but someone will return your call and be able to talk with you about the next steps. However do not delay medical treatment. If the animal is dead, do not freeze the animal but keep it cool and/or refrigerated.
The Ohio Department of Health has put together a rabies Post- Exposure Risk Assessment Tool that you can use to help determine if PEP should be started. (https://odh.ohio.gov/know-our-programs/zoonotic-disease-program/rabies-pep)
Be a responsible pet owner by keeping vaccinations current for all dogs, cats, and ferrets, keeping your cats and ferrets inside and your dogs under direct supervision, and consider having your pets spayed or neutered. Call animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood.
For more information, download our rabies resources:
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page updated 10-08-2024
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page updated 3/20/2024
Bed bugs are wingless, approximately ¼ inch in length with a flattened, oval shape and rusty brown in color. Younger bed bugs are smaller and often lighter in color. Female bed bugs can lay from 1-12 eggs a day and 3 or more generations can occur each year. A bed bug can live up to 18 months and survive without a blood meal for a year. Since bed bugs are only active at night, any daytime sightings may indicate a heavy infestation.
Usually the first sign of a bed bug infestation is the appearance of small, rusty spots on your mattress and bed linens. These are bed bug droppings and blood spots. Bed bugs feed on any bare skin exposed while sleeping. Red, itchy welts are an indication of an infestation. Bed bug “bites” occur when the bed bug is actually drawing blood. It may take as long as fourteen days for a welt to appear from a bed bug “bite”. The victim of a bed bug should resist the urge to scratch the “bites” as this may intensify the itching and cause an infection. Some people have a reaction to bed bug ‘bites” and may need to seek medical assistance.
Check for bed bugs on the seams and folds of mattresses, bed frames and head boards. Bed bugs may also be behind baseboards, pictures, frames, windows, door casings, loosened wall paper, curtains, cracks in plaster and electrical wall plates. They can be in furniture, closets and cracks and crevices around the house. Adult bed bugs can hide in any space as thin as a piece of paper; young bed bugs are even smaller.
Do not bring items that are known to be infested into your home. Be sure to inspect any furniture or secondhand items that are brought into your home for bed bugs. When returning from a trip, inspect your luggage and clothes for bed bugs.
For more information, download our bed bug resources:
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“Successful IPM utilizes a combination of control strategies, including surveillance, source reduction, larvaciding, adulticiding (only when necessary), biological control and education. Adulticiding alone is ineffective in controlling mosquito populations because it is difficult to get the adulticide to the inaccessible habitat of the adults. Mosquito larvae are left to continue their development and they quickly replace the adults. In fact, mosquitoes can build up a resistance if they are overused. Aside from the ineffectiveness, pesticides can have long term ecological, environmental and health impacts. The EPA encourages nonchemical mosquito control measures; therefore, in an IPM approach to mosquito control, adulticides play only a small part in overall mosquito control.” – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, June 2002
Surveillance identifies locations where mosquito populations are building, so targeted control measures can be implemented before a problem exists. Surveillance is the foundation on which any mosquito control program should be based. Larval surveillance is done by sampling a wide variety of habitats. Surveillance of adults targets mosquitoes which are no longer in the larval habitat. Traps for adult mosquitoes include CDC light traps which may be baited with carbon dioxide. These traps are used to capture mosquitoes looking for a blood meal. Gravid traps are frequently used to sample Culex mosquitoes ready to lay eggs. Surveillance is also used to determine the mosquito species in a given area, allowing us to recognize the species that can carry disease. Nuisance mosquito calls from the public can serve as places to start mosquito surveillance.
Larviciding is the adding of chemical or other products to a water source to kill mosquito larvae and pupae. Controlling the larvae is more effective than adulticiding. Chemicals available include Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs), which prevent the larvae from completing their development. Chemical control of larvae should only be carried out by trained personnel or at their instruction. Several “biological” larvicides (bacteria registered as pesticides), which are safe and easy to use, are available as control agents. These include Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) and B. sphaericus which are available commercially.
Adulticiding is a process aimed at reducing the number of adult disease-carrying and pest mosquitoes by evening spraying of residential areas with ultra low-volume (ULV) mist spray equipment. The class of products we use in our sprayers are called synthetic pyrethroids. These chemicals emulate naturally occurring insecticides known as pyrethrums, found in chrysanthemum flowers. They kill mosquitoes effectively, yet biodegrade rapidly in the presence of sunlight. Some common pyrethroid products used by consumers include pesticides for common household pests such as ants and wasps, flea and tick shampoos/collars for pets, lice and scabies treatments (shampoos, etc.) for humans and insect repellent clothing.
In a joint statement on mosquito spraying, the CDC and EPA state that in order to be effective, spraying must be done under extremely precise conditions: at the ideal temperature, with low winds, at the time of day when mosquitoes are most active, and with carefully calibrated equipment to form droplets the right size. Furthermore, the spray is only effective against adult mosquitoes and not eggs or larvae. In an April 2001 report, the CDC stated, ”Adulticiding, the application of chemicals to kill adult mosquitoes by ground or aerial applications, is usually the least effective mosquito control technique” and also “the most effective and economical way to control mosquitoes is by larval source reduction.” The EPA and CDC advocate Integrated Pest Management (IPM). They explain, “IPM is an ecologically based strategy that relies heavily on natural mortality factors and seeks out control tactics that are compatible with or disrupt these factors as little as possible. IPM uses pesticide, but only after systematic monitoring of pest populations indicates a need. Ideally, an IPM program considers all available control actions and evaluates the interaction among various control practices, cultural practices, and weather and habitat structure. This approach thus uses a combination of resource management techniques to control mosquito populations with decisions based on surveillance”.
For more information, download our mosquito resources:
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To reach the Summit County Public Health Mosquito Control program, please call:
For the mosquito spray schedule, click here, or call:
Download the following resources to learn more:
Or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information:
Sign up for alerts to receive the mosquito spray schedule . Just complete the form below, and you'll receive updates to the spray schedule by email.
Current Mosquito Spray Schedule & Maps:
Using the best practice system of integrated pest management, the decision of when and where to spray is based on our mosquito surveillance program. SCPH does not have a predetermined spray schedule. Factors that may result in an evening mosquito control application include:
Spraying will begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. and continue until completed. In the event of bad weather, the spray schedule may be modified. An updated schedule will be available by noon on the following day by calling (330) 926-5667.
