Long Island faces rabies warning after 2 raccoons are confirmed to be infected — and disease may be spreading
It’s a new Amityville horror.
Health officials confirmed the first two cases of rabid raccoons in Amityville since 2009 — and warned the disease could be spreading.
“We are very concerned that rabies is spreading along our western border,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, said.
A deceased raccoon found in the town on March 4 had tested positive for the disease just weeks after the first recent case was discovered on Jan. 28, according to health officials.
“We ask for the public’s help,” Dr. Pigott added. “First, ensure that your pets are vaccinated for rabies. Next, take appropriate precautions when you are out and among wild animals.”
He also urged residents of the surrounding towns of Babylon, Islip, Huntington, and Smithtown to call the department if they encounter a dead raccoon.
Before the cases were announced, the Amityville Record reported two issues of sick raccoons in the area in late December.
At that time, a rabid raccoon scratched a nearby Massapequa Park resident, and police in Amityville were separately called to handle a sick raccoon around the same time.
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