What is Rabies? Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the nervous system of any warm-blooded animal. It is caused by a virus that is carried in the saliva of infected warm-blooded mammals. In North America, raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks are significant wildlife species that spread the disease. Rabies almost always results in the… Continue reading About Rabies
Bats Ecology Bats are nocturnal animals and feed most actively two to three hours following sunset. They are efficient pest controllers as they consume three times their body weight in insects per night. Bats select attics for nursery colonies, however, during the day they roost in trees and in buildings. Bats are usually born in… Continue reading Bats & Rabies
Protect Your Family – Dogs and Cats Must Be Vaccinated Not only is it an important tool to help reduce the risk of rabies in our communities, vaccination against rabies for dogs, cats and some other domestic animals is a regulatory requirement in Ontario. Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinics Dogs and cats must be on a leash… Continue reading Rabies Vaccination Clinics
Animal Bites and Scratches What Do I Do If I Have Been Bitten or Scratched by an Animal? If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal it is important to: What Happens to the Animal Involved in the Biting or Scratching Incident? Fact Sheet What is the Role of the Health Unit When… Continue reading Rabies
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is a public health agency that serves the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville as well as the County of Lanark from four local offices in Brockville and Smiths Falls and services sites in Gananoque, Kemptville, and Almonte. We monitor the health of our local population, deliver… Continue reading 2024 Annual Report
May 20, 2025
Public Health responds to hundreds of incidents of people being bitten by animals in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties. A large proportion of these incidents involved dogs and in almost all of these incidents the bite could have been prevented. In an effort to reduce the number of dog bites each year in the Leeds,… Continue reading Preventing Dog Bites
May 20, 2025 Public Health responds to hundreds of incidents of people being bitten by animals in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties. A large proportion of these incidents involved dogs and in almost all of these incidents the bite could have been prevented. In an effort to reduce the number of dog bites each year… Continue reading Preventing Dog Bites
Beginning September 30, 2025 news updates for Southeast Public Health will no longer be published to this website. For the latest news, visit the Southeast Public Health website. September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025
Message from the Medical Officer of Health It’s been yet another big year for our Health Unit, as you’ll read through the report below. We continued to be in active post-pandemic recovery throughout 2023, re-focusing on our usual work and catching up on programs that were disrupted during pandemic response. We also took the opportunity… Continue reading 2023 Annual Report
April 9, 2024 In 2023, as part of the provinces rabies prevention program, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit responded to over 500 incidents of people being bitten by animals in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties. This is not unusual with similar numbers occurring every year. A large proportion of these incidents involved dogs… Continue reading Health Unit Raises Awareness About Preventing Dog Bites