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The total number of reported animal bites in
Medina County during 2008 was 307.  Dogs accounted for 211 bites (69% of
total bites) and cats accounted for 78 bites (25% 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. In 2005, and continuing to date, the Ohio Department of Health extended its surveillance and baiting area programs 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 with 34 cases in 2005, 10 cases in 2006, 11 cases in 2007, and 5 cases in 2008. No raccoon rabies cases have been reported in Ohio so far in 2009. Ohio positive rabies statistics for 2008 totaled 64 cases, with 55 bats, 5 raccoons, 3 skunks, and one coyote. As of early June 2009, there have been 9 positive rabies cases in Ohio, all being bats. In Medina County, we are continuing our raccoon surveillance activities with no positives reported to date. Our last positive rabies case was in 2008 - a bat in Wadsworth City, with no human or pet exposure. For more information on Rabies, please contact us or visit the Ohio Department of Health web site. |