Vector Control | Rabies | Hantavirus | Mosquito Abatement | Bed Bugs | Mold
Environmental Health Specialists provide information to help control mice, ticks, mosquitoes, or other known vectors of disease. For more information contact your local Pest Abatement District or call your local
South Central Public Health District office.
Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast
majority of rabies cases reported each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.
While most bats are harmless and do not carry rabies, they are the only animal in Idaho to naturally carry
the virus.
To protect yourself and your pets from rabies:
For more information, visit this website.
People can become infected with hantavirus through contact with rodents or their urine and droppings. For more information about hantavirus click here.
South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) takes the threat of West Nile Virus seriously. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, but the majority of infections are mild or have no symptoms. Approximately 20 percent of those infected develop West Nile fever, and less than one percent of people infected will develop a neurological disease called West Nile encephalitis. SCPHD will inform the public every year when the first case of West Nile
Virus is confirmed in south-central Idaho, but the health district does not have any jurisdiction over the spread or abatement of mosquitoes anywhere in Idaho. Visit The
Twin Falls County Mosquito Abatement District's website here to learn more about local efforts to limit the spread of mosquitoes.
You can protect yourself from West Nile Virus by:
The common bed bug has long been a pest – feeding on blood, causing itchy bites, and generally irritating their human hosts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) all consider bed bugs a public health pest. However, unlike most public health pests, bed bugs are not known to transmit the spread of disease.
Learn more here.
Mold spores are everywhere. Some are dangerous, others are used in food. Learn more about the dangerous
types of mold, and what you can do to prevent it, here. South Central Public Health District does not have the jurisdiction, equipment, or training to inspect, treat, or clean up mold in private or public buildings.