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Animal Bites & Rabies Exposure

HomeMedical ServicesAnimal Bites & Rabies Exposure

A brown bat baring its teeth

Rabies is a concern anytime of the year, but particularly in the warmer months in Michigan when animals and people have more chances to have contact with one another. Please see the attached PRESS RELEASE regarding rabies and how people can protect themselves and their animals from rabies.

 

Rabies: A Forgotten Killer – Greatest Risk from Wildlife, Especially Bats

Avoid Wildlife. Vaccinate Pets. Stay Informed

  • Every 10 minutes, someone in the US is treated for possible exposure to rabies.
  • About 5,000 animals – mostly wildlife – test positive for rabies each year in the US.
  • 7 out of 10 Americans who die from rabies in the US were infected by bats.
Click here for more information.

 


Forms For Providers

 

The form needed to report Animal Bites can be downloaded here:  Animal Bite Report Form – rev 5-2021

 

*Effective 1/1/2019 PEP reporting for Rabies is MANDATORY

FAX completed form to VBCDHD Public Health Nursing & County Animal Control

  • Van Buren County Public Health Nursing FAX — 269-621-2725
  • Van Buren County Animal Control/Dispatch FAX – 269-657-7207 * NEW # effective 1/2020
  • Cass County Public Health Nursing FAX — 269-782-0121
  • Cass County Animal Control FAX – 269-445-5018

For questions you may call Public Health Nursing

  • Van Buren County — 269-621-3143
  • Cass County — 269-782-0064

Protocol

Human Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Protocol, click here.

Protocol for dogs, cats, ferrets or livestock possibly exposed to rabies and Rabies Protocol for Mammals which have bitten people or pets, click here.


VIS

Vaccine Information Sheet for Rabies in English

Vaccine Information Sheet for Rabies in Spanish


CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) is pleased to announce a new tool that allows users to search rabies status information by country. Rabies Status: Assessment by Country provides an overview of the presence of rabies (including dog rabies), presence of surveillance and control programs, vaccine availability and more.

This new resource is updated each year and will be especially useful for:

• International travelers. This tool will tell travelers if rabies is present in a country and whether vaccine is readily available – information that can help inform whether a rabies pre-exposure vaccination may be recommended by a physician.

• People seeking to bring a dog into the United States. Users will easily see if the country where they are importing their dog is at high risk for rabies. Dogs coming from a high-risk country will need a rabies vaccine certificate.

Every year, NCEZID experts assess each country’s rabies status worldwide to support and inform recommendations for two CDC programs: CDC Travelers’ Health and CDC’s animal and animal product Importation program. This information is now available to the public through the new Rabies Status: Assessment by Country resource.

For more information about how CDC is combating rabies in the United States and worldwide:

www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html

For more information, please visit: www.cdc.gov/importation.

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News from the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department

ALL individuals entering the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department are REQUIRED to wear a FACE COVERING (mask).

____________________

Office Locations

UPDATE:  As of Monday, May 3, 2021: Our Hartford & Mattawan facilities moved and merged into one new Lawrence location.

Van Buren/Cass District Health Department’s NEW Public Health Education Facility at 260 South Street, Lawrence, MI 49064

 
Lawrence – Administration ~ Community Dental Clinic ~ Environmental Health ~ Public Health Nursing
260 South Street
Lawrence, MI 49064
269-621-3143 / Get Directions »

 
Dowagiac – Community Dental Clinic ~ Environmental Health ~ Public Health Nursing
302 S. Front St
Dowagiac, MI 49047
269-782-0064 / Get Directions »

 
Hartford & Mattawan – these locations were closed, ALL services are being provided in our Lawrence and Dowagiac offices

Hours of Operation

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(*The Dowagiac office Environmental Health and Public Health Nursing hours may differ, it is recommended that you call 269-782-0064 to confirm staff availability.)


For an After Hours Public Health Emergency contact the appropriate county Sheriff Dispatch.

Van Buren County: phone  269-657-3101

Cass County: phone 269-445-1560

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