Two Health Advisories in One Day: Rabid Raccoons in East Pasco, West Nile in Local Mosquitoes

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County issued two separate health advisories on July 30, 2026: one after two raccoons on the east side of the county tested positive for rabies that same day, and a second after several sentinel chickens tested positive for West Nile virus. Both land at the peak of backyard season, with kids, dogs and outdoor practices in full swing and Pasco schools opening August 13.

DOH-Pasco says rabies may currently be present in the wild animal population. The department did not draw a boundary map this time, unlike the 60-day rabies alert it issued in February for a section of the Zephyrhills area after a raccoon there tested positive. The July 30 advisory is countywide in its guidance and identifies only the east side of Pasco as where the two confirmed raccoons were.

The practical advice is short. Keep pets and livestock current on rabies shots on your vet's schedule. Keep dogs leashed and supervised. Stop feeding wildlife, intentionally or not: outdoor pet bowls and an open garbage can do the job just as well as a handful of cat food on the back step.

Avoid raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes. Never bring a wild animal into the house, even an injured one. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator instead. And keep bats out of attics, sheds, classrooms and anywhere else people and pets spend time.

Who to call

If a wild or domestic animal bites or scratches you, get medical attention first, then report the injury. If something bites your pet or your livestock, get the animal to a vet immediately and report it to Animal Services.

Situation	Number
Bite or scratch to a person (report to DOH-Pasco)	352-521-1450, option 4
Bite to a pet or livestock; stray animals in the neighborhood (Pasco County Animal Services)	813-929-1212
Unusually heavy mosquito activity (Pasco County Mosquito Control District)	727-376-4568

West Nile is in the mosquitoes here

The second advisory came from the county's sentinel chicken program. The flocks are kept outdoors and their blood is tested for viruses that mosquitoes carry, which is how a health department learns a virus is circulating before people start getting sick. Several of those chickens came back positive for West Nile virus.

The Pasco County Mosquito Control District has stepped up surveillance and targeted control in the affected areas, working with DOH-Pasco. The district's Odessa office on Marathon Road is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and residents can also file a service request online.

DOH-Pasco's message to households is the standard one it uses every summer, and it is worth doing this week rather than eventually: drain and cover. Once a week, dump anything holding water. Flowerpot saucers. Buckets. Birdbaths. Pet bowls. Clogged gutters. Tarps and pool covers, which are the ones people forget. Wear long sleeves and pants when it is practical, use an EPA-registered repellent according to the label, and patch the window and door screens you have been meaning to patch.

The state also tracks Eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, chikungunya and dengue. Residents are asked to report dead birds to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, since bird die-offs are one of the early signals for West Nile.

Neither advisory carries a stated expiration date. DOH-Pasco has not said how long it expects either to remain in effect, and both will stay up until the department lifts them; the county's health alerts are posted on the DOH-Pasco health alert page. Media questions on both advisories are going to Sofia Reyes at DOH-Pasco, 727-619-0163.

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