A Long Island raccoon recently tested positive for rabies — just the latest in an alarming spate of cases to arise in the area in in recent months.
The animal was found dead in North Amityville on Jan. 28, and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services has since determined that it had contracted the dangerous disease, Newsday reported.
The raccoon marked the first case of rabies outside of bats in Suffolk County in 15 years.
At least six raccoons and two cats were found to be carrying rabies between July and January in neighboring Nassau County.
In Amityville, numerous residents reported raccoons behaving strangely in December and into January, according to the Amityville Record.
While bats have been found with rabies over the years, the last time a raccoon was confirmed to be carrying rabies in Suffolk County was in 2009 — leading experts to issue warnings for caution.
“I am very concerned about the spread of terrestrial rabies into Suffolk County,” said Suffolk County Department of Health Services commissioner Gregson Pigott.
“We have greatly enhanced our surveillance of terrestrial rabies since learning of raccoon rabies cases in Nassau County. We urge residents to vaccinate their pets and take appropriate precautions with wild animals,” he added.
State inspectors said in a statement, “There was no known animal contact with the raccoon” found rabid in Suffolk.
Rabies is typically transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals.
If left untreated in the human body for too long, it leads to death.
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