Rabid raccoon caught in Massapequa Park after it bites resident, officials say

A rabid raccoon that bit and scratched a Nassau County resident has been collected, the Nassau County Department of Health said Friday.

The raccoon was captured in Massapequa Park on Dec. 29, county health officials said in a release. The injured resident "has since received immediate medical care and post-exposure prophylaxis" for rabies — which is transferable to humans — the health department said in a news release.

"No human cases of rabies have been reported in Nassau County to date due to the availability and effectiveness of immediate post-exposure prophylaxis treatment," the department added.

The attack occurred in the same location and on the same day the animal was caught, Alyssa Zohrabian, a spokesperson for the county health department, confirmed. She added that due to "confidentiality reasons, we are not releasing any additional information about the individual" who was injured.

The infected animal was one of two which county officials collected this week. Another raccoon was captured in West Hempstead on Dec. 30 and tested positive for rabies, health officials said Friday.

The two raccoons are the latest in a series of seven animals that all tested positive for rabies in Nassau County since last summer. In Cedarhurst, Valley Stream, Hewlett and Roslyn Heights, county officials previously detected rabies in two feral cats, which is considered rare, and three raccoons, Newsday previously reported.

Last September, crews distributed rabies vaccine bait in southwestern areas of Nassau County "as a preventive measure to control rabies among wild animals," the health department said in a news release. The department is currently seeking New York State Department of Health money to expand this distribution effort.

"While prior cases were largely identified in the southwestern portion of Nassau County, these recent positive cases suggest an eastern spread of rabies activity," Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said in a statement Friday. "It’s critical that we remain vigilant by staying alert for unusual animal behavior, avoiding contact with wild or stray animals, and ensuring our pets’ rabies vaccinations are current."

Gelman advised residents to avoid feeding wild or stray animals and to keep pets and livestock too young for shots indoors and under observation while outside.

If any individual or pet is bitten or scratched by an animal, immediate medical care should be sought, and the Nassau County Department of Health should then be notified at 516-227-9663, or 516-742-6154 during off hours and weekends, according to the release. Dead, sick or abnormal animals can be reported by email at rabies@nassaucountyny.gov.