Huntington -- On September 24, Phase II of the Oral Rabies Vaccination operation is scheduled to begin. Helicopter baiting will be done in areas such as parklands and wooded areas where it would be impossible, or impractical, to scatter baits from a ground vehicle.

The rabies baiting program vaccinates raccoons in Suffolk County with one inch square fish-meal baits containing an oral rabies vaccine.  The aim of the baiting program is to prevent the spread of rabies in the county as well as to eliminate rabies in those areas where it already exists.  This year, twelve cases of raccoon rabies have been detected in Suffolk County in the areas of Huntington, Lloyd Harbor and Cold Spring Harbor. 

Over 120,000 bait packets were distributed by hand from the Nassau-Suffolk border eastward to Nichols Road.  This baiting was conducted using county trucks and personnel to toss baits onto properties in those areas where raccoons are routinely spotted.

Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services said, “The Health Department employees did an excellent job of distributing the 120,000 baits by hand over five days. Now we are in Phase II of the program to ensure we are covering all densely wooded areas.  I also appreciate the support and cooperation of the residents as the Department has made a concerted effort to eradicate this problem.”

Rabies is a viral disease that is transmitted from infected mammals to man.

Left untreated, it will invariably lead to death. Early symptoms include irritability, headache, fever, and sometimes itching at the site of exposure. Within days the disease progresses to paralysis, spasms of the throat muscles, convulsions, delirium and death.

People can get rabies if they are exposed to the saliva or nervous tissue of a rabid animal through a bite. It is also possible, although rare, that people can get rabies if infectious material, such as saliva, from a rabid animal gets directly into their eyes, nose, mouth or a wound.