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  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • At-Home Test Kits
    • COVID-19 Booster Information
    • COVID-19 Testing
    • Weekly Updates for COVID-19 Positivity Rates Within the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) Jurisdiction
    • Self-Isolation and ​Self-Quarantine
  • Programs & Services
    • Environmental Health >
      • Healthy Homes
      • Lead Information
      • Asbestos >
        • Overview
        • Asbestos Abatement
        • Vermiculite Concerns
      • Beauty Salon and Barber Shop Licensing
      • Bed Bug Information
      • Building Conversions, Additions and Accessory Structures
      • Day Care Centers
      • General Septic System Information >
        • Steps to Constructing a Building with No Public Sewers or Public Water
        • On-site Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems
        • Repair and Replacement
      • Lake and Pond Swimming Areas
      • Noise Regulations
      • Private Water Wells
      • Public Swimming Pools
      • Radon Awareness
      • Soil Testing
      • Tattoo Salons
      • Water Testing Laboratories
    • Community Health >
      • Suicide Prevention
      • Opioid Epidemic
      • Bats & Rabies
      • Bed Bugs
      • Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
      • Communicable and Chronic Disease Program
      • Emergency Preparedness
      • Fit Together NWCT
      • Immunization >
        • Immunization Program
        • Connecticut Vaccine Program (CVP)
        • Connecticut Immunization Information System (CT WiZ)
      • Community Health Needs Assessment
      • Lyme Disease & Ticks >
        • About Lyme Disease
        • Tick Removal & Testing
      • TAHD Medical Reserve Corp
      • Travel Health
    • Food Protection Inspection Program >
      • Overview of Food Protection Section
      • Guidelines for Food Service at Temporary Events
      • Itinerant Vendor / Mobile Vendor Food Service Requirements
      • FDA Food Code Information >
        • Testing Organizations
      • Qualified Food Operator
      • Foodborne Illness Investigation
      • Preoperational Guidelines & Application for Food Service Establishments
      • Keeping Food Safe During Extended Power Outage
      • Procedures to Safely Reopen After Storm
      • Food Service Establishment Inspections
    • Local Regulations
  • Forms & Applications
    • General Forms & Applications
    • Food Service Forms & Applications
    • Fee Schedule
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Board Members >
      • Board of Health Meeting Minutes
    • TAHD Staff
    • Satellite Office Locations
    • District Municipalities
    • Needs Assessment >
      • Litchfield County Community Health
      • Executive Summary
      • Litchfield County Transformation Grant
    • Public Health Introduction Video
    • Employment Opportunities
  • News & Events
    • Newsletter
    • Weather Related Closures


Click HERE for an excellent brochure on Rabies
​Click HERE for information on Animal Rehabilitation

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Rabies 
​Don't handle wild animals!
​Vaccinate your pets!

Bats & Rabies

PictureLittle Brown Bat
Facts

This deadly disease infects mammals only. Human cases of rabies in the U.S. are rare, but always fatal. The last human case in CT was a twelve year old girl in Greenwich in 1995. Raccoons, skunks, bats and cats are the most common carriers of the rabies virus in Connecticut. It is spread through a bite or by getting infected saliva in an open wound or in an eye, nose, or the mouth. There is no treatment for rabies after symptoms appear, it must be prevented with a series of shots starting immediately after exposure.

Prevention
  • Vaccinate your pet against rabies - it is the law, and they are the barrier between wild rabid animals and your family.
  • Don’t let your pets run wild - this will greatly reduce their chances of having contact with a rabid animal.
  • Do not pet or feed wild or stray animals (especially warn your children) - some rabid animals do not appear sick.
  • Bring open food containers inside at dusk - you do not want to attract night feeding animals to your home.
  • Secure your garbage containers -  sources of food attract nuisance animals.
  • Report any strange acting animals to the Local Police or the Animal Control Officer - bring pets and children indoors.
  • Bat proof and raccoon proof your home - best done by professionals.

Pet Exposure
  • Without risking personal injury, try to capture the wild animal involved in an incident for later rabies testing.
  • If you see your pet fight with a wild animal or if your pet comes home with injuries and you believe it may have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal,  isolate your pet immediately.
  • Be sure to use gloves when touching or handling your animal. Immediately contact your veterinarian and/or the Torrington Area Health District.

Human Exposure
  • Without risking personal injury, try to capture the wild animal involved in an incident for later rabies testing.
  • Try not to panic - Wash the affected skin thoroughly with soap and hot water.
  • Immediately contact your doctor and the Torrington Area Health District.
  • All incidents involving bats indoors should be evaluated with the Torrington Area Health District - catch the BAT!
  • Rabies vaccine is available at local emergency rooms for immediate treatment.

Animal Testing For Rabies
  • Large domestic animals must be prepared and submitted by veterinarians.
  • Smaller wild animals (e.g. bats, raccoons, skunks) can be brought to the Torrington Area Health District where they will be sent to the State Laboratory.
  • Contact the Torrington Area Health District @ (860) 489-0436 for instructions.

Pre-exposure Rabies Vaccination Recommended For High Risk People
  • Veterinarians and their staff
  • Municipal Animal Control Officers
  • Private Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators
  • Animal Rehabilitators

Links
  • CDC Rabies Information
  • State of Connecticut Manual for Rabies Management and Protocols
  • Capturing a Bat: What You Need and How to Do It





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Torrington Area Health District
350 Main Street, Suite A
Torrington, CT 06790-5000
(860) 489-0436  Fax  (860) 496-8243 
Hours
​-Monday, Tuesday, Thursday- 8:00am to 4:00pm.
-Wednesday-
8:00am to 6:00pm.
​-Friday-
8:00am to 1:00pm.
 
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TAHD provides local public health services for the towns of Bantam, Bethlehem, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Salisbury, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Watertown & Winsted.
© 2023 Torrington Area Health District. All Rights Reserved.
The Torrington Area Health District is an equal opportunity provider, and employer.  If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form.  You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form.  Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@USDA.gov.