Communicable Disease

Building a strong and healthy community.

At Health Services, our communicable disease program keeps close watch on new and existing diseases, investigates diseases and conditions that can be reported, responds to outbreaks in the community to keep everyone healthy, and works to stop the spread of diseases in order to protect and promote the health and well-being of county residents. We work in close collaboration with Health Officer Dr. Adam Brady (Linn County Public Health). 

Learn more about our public health team

How to Report a Disease or Condition

All Oregon physicians, other health care providers, and laboratorians are required by law to report certain diseases and conditions to the patient’s local health department. (Note, some cases are subject to restrictions per OAR Division 19 on school attendance, day care attendance, patient care, and food handling.)

• To report, call (541) 967-3888 x2488, Monday thru Friday from 8:30am–5pm or fax non-urgent case or lab reports to 541-924-6911.
• For diseases or conditions that require immediate reporting when our office is closed, call (541) 750-0090.

Wondering what to report and when? Find out at Oregon Health Authority’s Communicable Disease website. You can also learn how to report a disease or condition by visiting the Oregon Health Authority’s Reporting Page.

Keeping Our Community Healthy

Bat Confirmed Positive for Rabies in Benton County

News Release from Benton Co. Government
Posted on FlashAlert: June 30th, 2026 11:34 AM

BENTON COUNTY, Ore.— Public health officials from the State of Oregon and the Benton County Health Department have confirmed that a local bat has tested positive for rabies.  This is the first positive bat for rabies in Benton County in 2026.

On June 15, Benton County’s Environmental Health program learned that a resident found a bat, which may have had contact with their domestic animals, on their property in Benton County. The resident brought the bat to the Oregon State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for testing. On June 17, the bat was confirmed positive for the rabies virus.

“Rabies is present in the bat population and bats are the primary reservoir of rabies in wild animals for our area of the country,” said Robert Baker of Benton County Environmental Health. “Direct hand contact with bats should always be avoided if possible.”

Safety Around Bats

Bats play an important role in our ecosystem and are especially helpful to humans by eating a lot of insects considered pests. While most bats do not have rabies and people cannot get rabies from just seeing a bat or having contact with bat guano (feces), it is important not to take unnecessary risk. Infected bats can pass the rabies disease to humans and other animals by biting or scratching, or through saliva contact with eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound.

*Capturing a Bat Loose in Your Home – If a bat is present in your home and you cannot rule out the possibility of exposure, leave the bat alone and contact Linn County Health Services for assistance. If professional help is unavailable, click here for guidance on how to capture the bat safely.

“All pet owners should make certain that their dogs and cats are vaccinated against rabies. Protecting pets from rabies can provide a buffer zone of immune animals between humans and rabid wild animals such as bats,” said Emillio DeBess DVM of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). 

About Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease that is preventable, but deadly if people don’t receive medical care before symptoms start. Rabies spreads primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal.

Rabies symptoms in animals can include lethargy, walking in circles, and loss of muscular coordination, convulsions, irritability, aggressiveness, disorientation, excessive drooling and showing no fear of humans. Animals displaying these behaviors should not be approached or handled.

Contact Linn County Health Services at (541) 967-3888 ext. 2488 (M-F 8:30am to 5pm) or (541) 750-0090 (after business hours) whenever there has been human or pet contact with bats or any animal that appears to be sick, injured or has bitten a human or pet.

More information about bats and rabies can be found on Benton County’s animal bites webpage, OHA’s rabies webpage, and the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) rabies webpage.

State’s first measles cases of 2026 confirmed in Linn County

Immunization Appointments

Call 541-967-3888 opt 3 to make an appointment or register online: Immunization Registration, Registro de Inmunización. We will call you to schedule the appointment after all the information has been submitted.

Appointment times:

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