Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Animals Vector topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pharr Public Health holds pet wellness fair and relaunches PAWS pet-tracking program
Summary
Public Health Director Nikko Japangan reported a pet wellness fair and rabies clinic that offered vaccines, microchips and vendors; the department also relaunched a PAWS pet-tracking geofence program and continued mosquito vector surveillance with Hidalgo County.
Nikko Japangan, public health director, told the advisory board the department held a pet wellness fair and rabies clinic that combined vaccines, microchips and vendor education on preventative pet care. Japangan said the event was held at the Pepe Salinas Center and included grooming and small-business vendors, with an emphasis on low-cost preventive services and owner education.
Japangan said the department used the event to relaunch PAWS, a live pet-tracking program that fits a tracking device to collars and establishes a geofence around a property. If a pet crosses the boundary, the system notifies staff and can show live location data so animal care officers can respond more quickly. The director said more information about PAWS will be posted on the department website and staff will provide contact information for residents to sign up.
Public Health staff also said they remain active in vector control and mosquito surveillance. They are deploying traps in coordination with Hidalgo County and sending samples to the Texas Department of State Health Services for testing; to date, staff reported no positive disease detections from their submitted samples. Japangan also provided a status update on the Schoolyard project: two initial sites are finalized and additional drafts have been received; staff expect contracting to proceed soon.
Board members said the indoor venue helped attendance and praised the department for outreach and organization.
