Park County Wyoming Health Officer

09/10/2026

RETIREMENT

After serving as Park County Health Officer and Registrar for more than 11 years, I will be retiring from the position on September 30, 2026.

This page was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide Park County residents with timely, understandable, science-based public health information. What began as a response to an unprecedented public health emergency grew into a community of more than 2,500 followers.

I am very grateful to everyone who followed this page, asked questions, shared information, offered constructive criticism, and trusted me to provide public health information during some extraordinarily challenging years.

With my retirement, I will no longer maintain or update this page. This page and its historical content will be retained as a public health information archive.

Please note that older posts reflect the information and recommendations available when they were published. Public health recommendations can change as scientific knowledge evolves, and older posts should not be assumed to represent current medical or public health guidance.

For current public health information after my retirement, please contact Park County Public Health at 307-527-8570 or https://parkcounty-wy.gov/public-health/.

Thank you for allowing me to serve the people of Park County. It has been a privilege.

09/03/2026

2nd RABIES CASE IN PARK COUNTY

A 2nd bat has tested positive for rabies in Park County. This was in the Cody area, and several vaccinated domestic cats were significantly exposed. No humans were exposed. Last week, a bat tested positive in the Powell area (see the August 27th update).

Rabies is rare but is nearly always fatal for humans if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered before symptoms begin. Any mammal can get rabies. Make sure your pets are appropriately vaccinated. 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸, 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱. Rather, contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (307-527-7125) during business hours. Beware of any nocturnal animal that is out during the day (especially bats and raccoons). Contact the appropriate law enforcement agency (stray or aggressive animals, bites) or your veterinarian for assistance with domestic animals.

ALL people should exercise caution in ALL parts of Park County. Rabies was also detected in a bat in Sheridan County this summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHvhZCcMD4o

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/about/index.html

abies is a virus that infects wildlife, especially bats, raccoons, ...

08/27/2026

RABIES IN PARK COUNTY

A bat in Park County has tested positive for rabies. A human and an unvaccinated domestic dog were significantly exposed.

https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/rabies/

08/27/2026

MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE

In cooperation with the State, traps were baited with dry ice last night, and mosquitoes were recovered today -- not to test dead mosquitoes for West Nile Virus, but to send live local mosquitoes to Cheyenne to test for resistance to various insecticides. The mosquitoes were transported in "dorms" with a source of water and glucose.

08/27/2026

MEASLES DEATHS IN PENNSYLVANIA

The PA Department of Health has confirmed 2 measles-related deaths, both in unvaccinated individuals, including a newborn infant.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths

08/23/2026

WEST NILE VIRUS (WNV)

WNV tends to show up in August and September in Wyoming due to the habits of the mosquito species involved. 13 of 939 mosquito pools have tested positive for WNV (in Sheridan, Natrona, Albany, Goshen, and Laramie counties). There has been 1 human case in Laramie County.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/courtney.tillman/viz/WYWNV/WNV?publish=yes

***Important Notice***
Positive West Nile Virus horse in Fremont County, Wyoming. We commonly see cases of West Nile Virus in August and September due to the type of mosquito that spreads it. Please vaccinate your horses. Easy to prevent and not always easy to treat. This positive horse was euthanized.
😁STOP BY AND SEE US FOR YOUR VACCINE.😁

08/22/2026

MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS FOR CANCER

A 2019 study in the journal of the American Cancer Society found that for 30 cancer types, 44.0% of cancer deaths in those aged 30 and older were attributable to modifiable risk factors. These included (and the cancers they are known to cause):

𝗖𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 (oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colorectal, liver, pancreas, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, larynx, trachea, lung, bronchus, cervix, o***y, kidney, ureter, bladder, acute myeloid leukemia)
𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 (lung, bronchus)
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (esophagus, stomach, colorectal, gallbladder, pancreas, breast, uterine, o***y, kidney, thyroid, myeloma)
𝗔𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, colorectal, liver, breast)
𝗗𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
Red meat consumption (colorectal)
Processed meat consumption (colorectal)
Low fruit and nonstarchy vegetable consumption (oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx)
Low dietary fiber consumption (colorectal)
𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 (esophagus, colon, breast, uterine, kidney, bladder)
𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (melanoma)
𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Epstein-Barr virus (nasopharynx, Hodgkin lymphoma)
Helicobacter pylori (stomach)
Hepatitis B virus (liver)
Hepatitis C virus (liver, non-Hodgkin lymphoma)
Human herpes virus type 8 (Kaposi sarcoma)
Human immunodeficiency virus (a**s, Kaposi sarcoma, uterine, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma)
Human papillomavirus (oral cavity, oropharynx, a**s, v***a, va**na, cervix, p***s)

In 2018, the authors reported estimates of the number and proportion of cancers attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in 2014 in the United States. These data are useful for advocating ...

08/19/2026

PARK COUNTY WEST NILE VIRUS SURVEILLANCE

In the 2nd round of trapping and testing, mosquito pools from Garland, Clark, South Fork, Cody, Meeteetse, and Wapiti have all tested NEGATIVE for West Nile Virus (WNV).

The attached picture shows how trapped mosquitoes are examined under the dissecting microscope to identify those of the species Culex tarsalis. Culex tarsalis mosquitoes are the primary carrier of WNV in Wyoming and are sent to the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in Cheyenne for testing.

08/17/2026

COVID-19 REACTIVATES OTHER DORMANT VIRUSES

A recent study of 1,154 patients across 20 US research hospitals and with more than 1 billion data points over the course of a year found 11 different viruses were reactivated after admission for COVID-19 infection, most commonly:

𝗘𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻-𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 (EBV) - Causes infectious mononucleosis.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 - A family that includes herpes simplex 1 and 2 (HSV1 and HSV2) that cause oral and ge***al herpes. This family also includes the chickenpox virus.
𝗖𝘆𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 (CMV) - Causes a flu-like illness in healthy people but can cause serious illness in newborns or those who are immunocompromised.
𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 - A poorly understood family of viruses that infect 90% of all vertebrates (causing no known disease) and whose reactivation levels are used to track immunosuppression in transplant patients.

All of these viruses can remain dormant in the human body for life. One-half of patients had at least 1 virus reactivated.

Chronic reactivation of distinct herpesviruses and anelloviruses occur during acute and long COVID-19, and track with disease severity, inflammation and outcomes, revealing immune signatures with prognostic potential.

08/14/2026