May 12 Health News

May 12, 2026

Inside this email:

Director’s Message

Public health is often most powerful in the moments people never see, the illnesses prevented, the crisis avoided, and the child who grows up healthier because support was available at the right time. Over the last century, investments in public health, including vaccinations, sanitation systems, food safety standards, disease prevention, maternal and child health programs, and safer workplaces, have transformed modern life and helped increase life expectancy in the United States by nearly 30 years. Many of the protections we now consider standard in everyday life, like clean drinking water at our taps, lower rates of infectious disease, healthier pregnancies and infants, and coordinated emergency response systems, exist because communities, like Summit County, chose to invest in public health infrastructure.

Behind every vaccination clinic, inspection, prevention campaign, and community partnership is a simple yet powerful vision: Summit County is a community where people can experience a positive, healthy lifestyle through public health efforts focused on awareness, education, and preparedness. The value of public health is measured not only in data and statistics, but in the confidence that families feel knowing their health department is working every day to protect and preserve their health and safety. In communities like Summit County, where connection, resilience, and quality of life matter deeply, public health helps build the foundation that allows individuals, families, and neighborhoods to thrive together. And, we are grateful for that assignment.

Thank you for the trust you place in your health department and for your shared commitment to building a healthier community for all.

Your friend in public health,
Dr. Phil Bondurant

Tick Season is in Session

The most common tick in Utah is the Rocky Mountain wood tick. While it can cause other illnesses, it does not transmit Lyme disease. The tick that can carry Lyme disease is rare in Utah, and the overall risk of Lyme disease here is extremely low, especially since transmission usually requires a tick to stay attached for 36 to 48 hours.

Ticks can bite without being felt because their saliva contains a numbing agent, and they can become harder to remove after attaching for a day or two. To help prevent bites, avoid grassy, brushy, and sagebrush areas in spring and early summer, wear long sleeves and long pants, use tick repellent, and check your body, clothing, and gear after being outdoors.

We are currently working with the Utah Department of Health/USU on testing options. You can pick up a vial at the Quinn's Junction Health Building (650 Round Valley Dr, Park City 84060) to place the tick in the alcohol solution.

Click here to learn more.

Community Engagement & Behavioral Health Survey Results

Results are in for the 2026 Community Engagement & Behavioral Health Survey, which is a countywide study of Summit County residents ages 18 and older. Building on surveys from 2021 and 2024, the findings offer a closer look at community engagement and mental well-being and may help guide future efforts to improve health and wellness in our community. Results cover topics such as loneliness, substance use, community life, and much more. Check out those results here.

UALBOH Award

Congratulations to Dr. Phil Bondurant on being recognized by the Utah Association of Local Boards of Health (UALBOH) as an Outstanding Public Health Professional! Since 2014, he has provided strong leadership that has helped guide community health assessment, build partnerships, and strengthen access to public health services across Summit County. This award also recognizes his steady, thoughtful leadership through a challenging year and his commitment to keeping the Health Department focused on serving the community with creativity, transparency, and resilience.

Dr. Phil Bondurant receiving the award at the UALBOH Conference.

Free Speaker Series Event

This is your last chance to register for our next speaker series event on May 19th, called Tapping In. The event will explore how snowpack, drought, and changing seasons influence the amount of water we have, how safe it is, and what communities can do to prepare for the future. If that is of interest to you, visit summitcounty.info/speakerseries to learn more and register.

What You Need to Know About Hantavirus

You may have heard about hantavirus in the recent news and are wondering what the risk is here in Utah. While hantavirus infections can be very serious, it’s important to know that cases in Utah are rare, and the strain of hantavirus known to spread from person-to-person (the Andes virus) is not found in the United States. The rare person-to-person spread that has been documented has only been associated with the Andes virus in South America and required very close, prolonged contact.

Utah health officials maintain the general risk from the Andes hantavirus remains low as they prepare for the return of Utahns exposed to the virus on a cruise ship. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services will work with the Utahns who were exposed on the cruise ship to connect them with care and make sure they isolate themselves from others if they develop symptoms. Three Utahns were among the 18 people transported from the cruise ship to the U.S. Sunday.

In Utah and the western United States, hantavirus is primarily spread through contact with infected rodents and their droppings, urine, saliva, or nesting materials. People can become infected when contaminated dust is stirred into the air and breathed in, especially while cleaning enclosed areas such as sheds, garages, cabins, crawl spaces, or campers where rodents have been present.

Although hantavirus is uncommon, there have been cases and outbreaks reported in the Southwest, including the well-known 1993 outbreak affecting the Navajo Nation region near Arizona and New Mexico. Because of this, it’s important to take precautions when cleaning up after rodents.

To reduce your risk:

  • Avoid contact with rodents and their droppings whenever possible

  • Seal up holes or gaps where rodents may enter homes or buildings

  • Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings, as this can stir virus particles into the air

  • Ventilate the area, wear gloves, spray droppings with a disinfectant or bleach solution, and carefully wipe up materials with paper towels

  • Wash hands thoroughly after cleanup

The overall risk to the public in Utah remains low, but practicing safe rodent cleanup and prevention is the best way to protect yourself and your family.

Learn more here.