Officials: Fourth raccoon in Amityville area positive for rabies

A fourth raccoon has tested positive for rabies in the Amityville area, Suffolk health officials confirmed.

The infected animal was discovered April 4 in Amityville, according to a Suffolk County Department of Health Services news release.

The rabid raccoon marked the fourth discovered in southwest Suffolk this year. Raccoons discovered in North Amityville on Jan. 28 and in Amityville on March 4 and March 22, all tested positive for the infection, which is transmittable to humans and pets via bites and scratches from an infected animal. If untreated, a rabies infection can be fatal.

Residents should not feed wild or stray animals, avoid storing food outside and never touch dead or dying animals without protective gear and a shovel, according to Dr. Gregson Pigott, the commissioner of the county department. He also advised residents to vaccinate their pets, livestock and horses, and to keep cats, dogs and ferrets leashed and indoors during the evening.

Rabid raccoons may "behave aggressively, salivate heavily, or have paralyzed hind legs," according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website.

In a telephone interview on his final day in office, Amityville Village Mayor Dennis Siry said "there’s not much the village can do" to battle the rabies concern as it has no animal control department. Siry added that while he has not "heard any hoopla" from concerned constituents, he wants residents to remain vigilant.

"I hope people are aware of it so that they don’t ... go near any raccoons if they see them in the daytime, or anytime," Siry said Monday. "People need to be cautious when they see raccoons."

On Feb. 27, Pigott presented a plan to the Suffolk County Legislature’s health committee to drop rabies vaccine bait, Newsday reported at the time. During that meeting, Pigott mentioned that a similar initiative successfully stemmed a rabies outbreak in the county in the 2000s.

In a telephone interview Monday, Pigott said the bait plan is expected to begin in late August or September, the time of year after raccoons tend to give birth. The action falls under the purview of the health department and does not need approval by the Suffolk County Legislature.

So far, the positive cases appear "to be confined" in the Amityville area, Pigott said.

"That will inform our baiting strategy going forward," he added. "We need to discuss that with the USDA and then we come up with a strategy ... map it out and then figure out how to deploy the bait."

Babylon, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown residents who spot dead raccoons should report them by emailing php@suffolkcountyny.gov or calling 631-852-5900.

Abnormally acting raccoons should be reported to Suffolk police by calling 631-852-COPS or the NYSDEC by calling 631-444-0250. Animal bites should be tended to immediately, as well as reported to the county health department by calling 631-852-4820.