The Long Island raccoon recently tested positive for rabies. It's the latest in the surprising cases that have occurred in the area in recent months.
The animal died in North Amityville on Jan. 28, and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services determined it had a dangerous disease. Newsday reported.
The raccoon marked the first non-bat rabies case in 15 years in Suffolk County.
In neighboring Nassau County, at least six raccoons and two cats were found carrying rabies between July and January.
In Amityville, many residents reported raccoons behaving strangely in December and January. According to Amityville Record.
The bat was discovered for many years with rabies, but in 2009 the last confirmed raccoon was confirmed to carry rabies in Suffolk County.
“I am very concerned about the spread of terrestrial rabies to Suffolk County,” said Gregson Piggott, director of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
“Since studying the raccoon rabies case in Nassau County, we have significantly increased our surveillance of terrestrial rabies. We are urging residents to vaccinate their pets and take appropriate precautions for wildlife,” he said. added.
“No animal contact with the raccoon was known,” a state inspector said in a statement.
Rabies is usually transmitted through bites or wounds from infected animals.
If it is not treated in the human body for too long, it can lead to death.
