People are exposed to rabies when they are bitten by an infected animal, or less commonly when saliva from an infected animal gets into an open wound or onto a mucous membrane. Any bite should be thoroughly washed with soap and water as soon as possible. Animal bite victims should consult with their doctor and report the incident. By law, animal bites occurring within Stark County (excluding Alliance, Canton, or Massillon City) must be reported to the Stark County Health Department within 24 hours of the incident. Please use this link for a fillable form Animal Bite Form or see below to print out a form. Try to obtain information about the animal’s owner, such as their name, address, telephone number, and a description of the animal.

Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease. To confirm the victim’s risk of being exposed to rabies, a decision must be made to either quarantine or test the biting animal, or to treat the victim. Domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, are quarantined for a period of ten (10) days from the date of the bite. To be released from quarantine, the owner must show that the animal is current on its rabies vaccination and that it does not show signs of rabies.

A wild animal (bat, raccoon, skunk, etc.) that has bitten or exposed a person or family pet may be tested for rabies. Any animal that is submitted for testing must be dead, relatively fresh, and have an intact skull. The Stark County Health Department does not have the means of euthanizing animals. This task must be done by a veterinarian, the homeowner, a private trapper, or possibly a local police department that provides this service. If the bite occurs on the weekend, the specimen should be kept refrigerated until Health Department personnel can pick it up. Do not freeze specimens, as this can affect the test results.

0 found in 0 section(s)