• / Environmental Health

Environmental Health

 

    Contact:
Environmental Health Program
Isle of Wight Center
Phone: 410-641-9559
Hours: 8 am to 4:30 pm
After Hours: Call your local law enforcement agency or 911

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If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal, or if you find a bat in the living area of your home, or your pet has been exposed to a rabies suspect animal such as raccoons, foxes, skunks, opossums, groundhogs, stray cats, contact our office for further assistance.

 

 

 

 

*Rabies Vaccination Public Service Announcement*

If your pet received a rabies vaccination from Dr. Hafez at Worcester Animal Clinic located at 1402 Market St, Pocomoke City, Maryland on or after April 1, 2020, please contact Worcester County Environmental Health at 410-352-3234.

 

 

Rabies Exposures

(click on the brochure below to learn more)

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 • If you see a wild animal, such as a raccoon, skunk, fox, groundhog, opossum, or a cat behaving in a threatening or obviously sick manner or should your pet be involved in an altercation with one of those animals –  REPORT IMMEDIATELY to your local police department or Sheriff’s office. 
 
  • Prevent further contact by keeping pets and people away.  If a pet or person has already had contact, it is  important that the rabies suspect animal be obtained (safely) for rabies testing. 
 
  • If a pet has had contact, DO NOT TOUCH the pet barehanded. Make sure the Health Department is contacted  for further instructions, if contact has occurred.  Your pet’s veterinarian may also be contacted for further advice.
 
 

 

Bats and Rabies

 

People usually know when they have been bitten by a bat. However, because bats have small teeth which may leave marks that are not easily seen, there are situations in which you should seek medical advice even in the absence of an obvious bite wound.

• If you find a bat in the living space of your home, and do not know when or how it got in, contact our Office immediately for a risk assessment at 410-641-9559 and do not release the bat. After hours, contact your local police department or dial 410-632-1311 for further assistance.

• For assistance with bat colonies not inside the living area of the home (attics, eves) contact Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service call 1-877-463-6497 or visit their website at: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

• To learn more about the dangers of exposure to bats and rabies, visit: www.cdc.gov

(click on the brochure below to learn more)

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Confirmed Rabid Animals in Worcester


While raccoons make up the vast majority of confirmed rabid animals in Worcester County (and in Maryland), other species are also infected. Many people are not aware that the most frequent domestic animals to contract rabies are cats. 

Year
 Total Confirmed
 Species
2022
6  1 CAT, 5 Raccoons
2021
2
 1 fox, 1 raccoon
2020
4
 1 raccoon, 2 fox, 1 cat
2019
18
 11 raccoons, 6 foxes, 1 groundhog
2018
26
 19 raccoons, 1 skunk, 1 opossum, 2 foxes, 2 cats, 1 bat 
2017
10
 8 raccoons, 1 opossum, 1 cat
2016
14
 11 raccoons, 1 skunk, 1 cat, 1 groundhog 
2015
12
 12 raccoons
2014
23
 18 raccoons, 1 fox, 1 bat, 2 cats, 1 skunk
2013
46
 40 raccoons, 3 foxes, 1 groundhog, 1 bat, 1 dog
2012
19
 16 raccoons, 2 foxes, 1 groundhog
2011
16
 11 raccoons, 2 skunks, 2 groundhogs, 1 cat
2010
26
 18 raccoons, 6 foxes, 2 cats
2009
52
 45 raccoons, 5 foxes, 1 opossum, 1 cat



Many of these confirmed rabid animals, as well as many other suspect animals that were unable to be tested, had contact with pets or people. It is extremely important that pets' rabies vaccinations stay current and that these encounters are reported so that testing and proper rabies risk assessments can be made for the people and pets involved.

  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2022, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2021, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2020, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2019, click here.
  • For a map of rabies cases, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2018, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2017, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2016, click here.
  • For a line by line listing of confirmed and suspect rabies investigations for 2015, click here.
  • For more information about rabies in Maryland, visit Center for Zoonotic and Vector-borne Diseases (CZVBD)

 

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Rabies Clinics:


• Maryland and Worcester County laws require current rabies vaccinations for all cats, dogs and ferrets four months and older. Rabies vaccinations are available at any veterinary clinic and should be a part of your pet's routine health care.

 


 

• The Worcester County Health Department together with Worcester County Animal Control offers rabies clinics throughout the county. The next clinic is Wednesday, September 21, 2022 by appointment only. Please call 410-352-3234 for more information.

• The cost per pet is $5 for Worcester County residents and $10 per pet for non residents. Please bring proof of residency. Dogs must be on leashes and under the control of an adult. Cats and ferrets must be in carriers with air holes. In order to receive a 3-year booster shot you must bring your pet’s previous vaccination certificate.
 

 
This information is provided by the Environmental Health Program.

 

 

 

 

Information