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LISBON -- The Columbiana County Health District will partner with Lisbon Veterinary Clinic to host a Reduced Rabies Prevention Clinic. The clinic will be held on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center located at 9364 state Route 45. The cost per dose is $5, and only cash payments will be accepted; come prepared with exact change. All pets must be at least 3 months old. Dogs must be leashed, and cats must be crated or otherwise confined.
Rabies is still a prevalent viral disease in Northeast Ohio, with one positive rabies case in neighboring Mahoning County this year.
Rabies is a deadly virus that affects the central nervous system in mammals. It is almost always transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Effective vaccines exist to protect people, pets, and wildlife from rabies, which is fatal if left untreated in almost all cases. It can take months before a person shows any signs of the disease. By the time a person with rabies begins to exhibit symptoms, it is often too late to begin treatment.
The Columbiana County Health District continues to take a proactive approach in the prevention of rabies in Columbiana County, acting as an animal drop off location for rabies surveillance in partnership with The United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Wildlife Services, which provides the health district with a freezer and weekly pickup services. County residents may drop off specimens including raccoons, groundhogs, bats, and foxes for surveillance purposes only. This surveillance is intended for non-human exposures, such as fresh road kill and nuisance animals. Specimens must be deceased with the skull intact. When necessary, animals should be humanely dispatched. Tissue must be fresh -- do not submit extremely decomposed specimens. All specimens should be double bagged and handled using water-repellent gloves to prevent exposure. During submission, the department will ask for an address or GPS location where the animal was found. Specimens can be submitted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the health district's office located at 7360 state Route 45, Lisbon.
The health district also accepts raccoons, skunks and bats for testing through the Ohio Department of Health laboratory for human exposure. Rabies exposures are considered animal bites or scratches.
For information, contact the Columbiana County Health District at 330-424-0272.