Rabies baiting begins Tuesday in northeast, eastern Ohio counties

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Departments of Health and Natural Resources, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services program and local health departments, will begin fall oral rabies vaccination operations Tuesday in 14 northeast and eastern Ohio counties, including Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Aerial distribution should be complete within 10 days; however ground baiting may continue through Sept. 30, depending on weather, state officials said.

Residents should keep children and pets away from the baits. Rabies is a viral disease that affects mammals. As of July 11, three rabies cases in animals had been confirmed in Ashtabula County. In 2010, six rabid animals, three from Lake County and one from each of Mahoning, Trumbull, and Guernsey counties, were confirmed, state officials said.