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The total number of reported animal bites in
Medina County during 2006 was 281.  Dogs accounted for 209 bites (74% of
total bites) and cats accounted for 54 bites (19% of total). Raccoon rabies has been a concern in Ohio since 1997 (with 59 positive cases). Due to the continued efforts of the Ohio Department of Health’s oral vaccination baiting program for raccoons in eastern Ohio, positive raccoon cases dropped to 20 in 1998, 5 cases in 1999, zero cases in 2000, one case each in 2001 and 2002, and 3 cases in 2003. However, for reasons not entirely known, there were increases in the number of positive raccoon cases in 2004 (44 cases) and 2005 (34 cases) – all in Northeastern Ohio, and all outside the established baiting boundary that includes the eastern Ohio counties from Ashtabula south to the Ohio River. The Ohio Department of Health extended its surveillance and baiting area programs for 2005, and continued through 2006 and 2007, into eastern Cuyahoga and northern Summit and Portage counties. Currently, Medina County is not in the extended baiting area but may be included if additional cases are found near the extended boundaries. The extended vaccination areas appear to have been effective as raccoon rabies cases dropped dramatically from 34 cases in 2005 to 10 cases in 2006. No raccoon rabies cases have been reported in Ohio so far in 2007. Ohio positive rabies statistics for 2006 totaled 59 cases – 48 bats and 10 raccoons. As of the early June 2007, there have been 10 positive rabies cases in Ohio, all being bats. In Medina County, we continued our raccoon surveillance activities in 2006 (no positives), and are continuing this activity in 2007. Our last positive rabies case was in 2004 - a bat in Wadsworth Township, with no human or pet exposure. For more information on Rabies, please contact us or visit the Ohio Department of Health web site. |