Union County Health Department

One of the best way to protect your family from rabies is to vaccinate your pets. Community rabies vaccination clinics are held each May in Union County at a variety of locations. These clinics offer low-cost, one-year rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs 4 months of age and older. The clinics are made possible through a partnership between the Union County Health Department, the Union County Humane Society, and local Union County veterinarians who generously donate their time. Click on the pdf below to download the Rabies Clinic Flyer.  Rabies Flier This year's community rabies vaccination clinic is Sunday, May 17, 2014 from 1-4 pm. Clinics are being held in: Marysville (at Coughlin of Marysville, 15801 US Highway 36) Milford Center (at Union Township Fire Department, 47 Railroad St) Raymond (at Liberty Township Fire Department, 21684 Ohio 347) Richwood (at Northern Union County Fire Department, 101 S Franklin St) Cost is $9 per animal. Only cash or check can be accepted as payment. Dog licenses will also be available for purchase at each location.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.

The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.

Rabies Prevention & Protection Regulation

The Union County Board of Health, at their October 13, 1993 meeting, adopted a Rabies Prevention & Protection Regulation for Union County, Ohio. As part of the regulation, any person who owns, keeps, or harbors a dog or ferret in Union County shall have that animal currently immunized against rabies. Any person who owns a cat in Union County shall have that animal under control. In the event of a rabies outbreak the Health Department may order the humane destruction of any unvaccinated dog, cat or ferret, and may immediately require the mandatory vaccination of all owned and harbored cats.