Numbers show increase in Nassau rabies cases defies recent trend

Nassau County is experiencing the widest spread of the potentially deadly rabies virus since the state began collecting data from municipalities almost 20 years ago.

Since July 2024, Nassau has confirmed 25 rabies cases — 22 raccoons and three feral cats — across virtually every part of the county, figures show.

Comparatively, Nassau had seven confirmed cases in total between 2007 and mid-2024 — five bats, a cat and a raccoon, state data shows.

Before the recent wave of cases, the most recent animal that tested positive in Nassau for rabies was a bat in May 2021.

During the past year, 14 animals tested positive in the Town of Hempstead, including four in West Hempstead and three in Valley Stream, according to Nassau’s Department of Health.

Nine cases were confirmed in the Town of Oyster Bay — including three each in Massapequa and Massapequa Park — and two cases were in the Town of North Hempstead.

Nassau Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said the county is currently awaiting test results for four more specimens.

"This is a concerning trend, especially given the fact that rabies were effectively eradicated in the county after 2016," Gelman said at a news conference in Mineola on Tuesday in which she declared rabies an "imminent public health threat."

Experts speculate there are several potential reasons for the rabies resurgence in Nassau, including environmental and weather conditions; that baits with vaccination were not distributed in areas where raccoons could consume them on an annual basis until recently; and New York City temporarily ending its baiting program last year.

"Obviously there are multiple factors that go into play, but when you stop actively baiting and preventing along the Nassau-Queens border, that may be one of the contributing variables for seeing some resurgence," Gelman said of New York City.

The New York City Health Department said it distributed the oral rabies vaccine in targeted areas of Queens and Brooklyn in April and there are plans to resume a citywide baiting program in the fall.

The bait, which smells like food, contains the rabies vaccine and will inoculate raccoons that consume it in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

There have been 20 confirmed rabies cases in the past 12 months in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island combined, city officials said.

"Because of our strong raccoon rabies surveillance program in NYC, we know that rabies has been circulating in NYC since it first appeared in 1992," the city Health Department said in a statement. "Raccoons don’t respect boundaries, so we’re not able determine how and where rabid raccoons are moving, or being moved by people ... We encourage Nassau County to also implement a robust surveillance program."

John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, said the uptick in cases in Nassau should be kept in perspective.

"We have 30,000 raccoons in Nassau County," said Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist. "So if you look at it from that perspective, 25 cases is not is not that huge."

Rabies, a viral disease, is spread to humans and pets via bites and scratches from an infected animal. It can be deadly in people if not treated immediately.

"Once rabies is present in wildlife, it has the high probability of spreading," the state Health Department told Newsday in a statement.

In Suffolk County, six rabid raccoons have been discovered this year, all in the Amityville area.

Between 2008 and 2024, the county reported a total of 52 rabies cases, the majority in bats, state data shows.

Suffolk announced Wednesday that it would offer free rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats and ferrets on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter.

Since July 1, 2024, 345 animals outside of New York City have tested positive for rabies, the bulk of which were in raccoons, state figures show.

There have been no human cases of rabies resulting from exposure in New York since 1993.

Newsday's Lisa L. Colangelo contributed to this story.