Sandy,
 
Could you please direct us to any local newspaper articles about this?  I
would assume, given the magnitude of this, that there is a great deal of
coverage, including quotes from the local health department, as well as
the attending veterinarian(s).  It does, indeed, sound like some sort of
"epidemic" (I'm using this term loosely, merely as something descriptive
of what is happening) and certainly the general public has been notified
of the potential dangers to themselves and their pets.
 
Has the local health department notified the CDC?  Has the state
veterinary board been notified?
 
This does not sound like something that can be "fixed" by posting to
Internet lists.
[Posted in FML issue 4746]