Hmmm.... at least they haven't caught me yet!
Rabid raccoon found in Nassau
BY JENNIFER SMITH
jennifer.smith@newsday.com
February 21, 2007, 3:24 PM EST
A raccoon found earlier this month in Kings Point has been confirmed as the first case this year of rabies in a raccoon in Nassau County, county health officials said Wednesday.
The animal was found on Feb. 6 and sent to a state health department rabies laboratory in western New York for testing, county health department spokeswoman Cynthia Brown said.
"We test and collect over 500 animals a year -- opossums, bats, raccoons -- that are acting strangely," she said.
Last year 17 raccoons were found to be rabid in Nassau County; overall 64 have been found there since August of 2004, according to the county health department.
In Suffolk, a dead raccoon spotted in Lloyd Harbor last month was found to have rabies; it was the sixth such case in Suffolk since last March.
Nassau health officials cautioned residents not to approach or try to capture wild animals or cats and dogs that are acting strangely.
If you are bitten, scratched or have had other contact with such animals, seek medical attention immediately and contact the department of health.
To report a dead or strange-acting raccoon to the Nassau County health department, call 516-571-2290 on weekdays or 516-742-6154 on nights, weekends and holidays.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
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