A health problem that has existed in New York State for over a decade has made its way to the Roslyn area.

Since August 2004, there have been up to 11 cases of rabies in raccoons reported in the East Hills, Brookville, and Glen Cove areas, with three of them in the Village of East Hills alone.

Rabies-invested raccoons were first discovered in East Hills in both September and December of 2004, with the third being reported on March 31 of this year.

Infection by such a raccoon can prove fatal, so East Hills officials decided to host a briefing on the problem. Last Tuesday, April 26, Amy L. Willsey, a veterinarian with the New York State Department of Health gave a talk on the situation at the village auditorium.

The talk informed residents on what they need to know for the protection of their families, the steps that are being taken by the federal, state, and county government agencies to combat the "serious problem," and how residents can help in the effort to control the outbreak.

Raccoons infected with rabies congregate in less densely-populated areas, often in places near water. Raccoons may seem like innocent, irresistible mammals to some, but above all, homeowners, Dr. Willsey said, should never feed raccoons or try to relocate them. In addition, they should report all "strange acting" raccoons to local authorities. To keep raccoons at bay, residents should cap their chimneys and secure their trash bins.

Once a rabid raccoon has been found in an area, health officials conduct large-scale bait distribution exercises. The purpose, Dr. Willsey said, is to identify raccoons, trap and then vaccinate them.

Dr. Willsey admitted that this problem is new to Long Island. However, since 1990, health officials have been monitoring such outbreaks all throughout the state.

During the winter, raccoons, as with other mammals, like to hibernate. In the spring, female raccoons produce their litters. The spring and summer months are then spent "running around" looking for anything they can find to eat.

Dr. Willsey said that raccoon rabies carry a virus that affects the nerves and spinal cord. The infection is followed by a long incubation period, one that usually lasts three to four months. Once illness develops, it is fatal. So if a bite occurs, the victim should get treatment as soon as possible. That includes washing with soap and water, and then receiving immediate medical attention.

Rabies are found mostly in raccoons, Dr. Willsey observed, but also in skunks, deer, foxes, woodchucks, possum, coyotes and bobcats, even cats, dogs, cattle, and especially bats.

Bat rabies, Dr. Willsey said, are found everywhere in the US. However, in New York, the outbreak of bat rabies is not nearly as widespread as raccoon rabies.

Despite the emphasis put on raccoon rabies, there has been only one death from such an infection since 1990 in the entire country. In that time period, there have been 45 deaths from rabies bites. Of those, 34 have come from bat rabies.

As with raccoons, health officials seek a rabies vaccine for dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, cattle, and sheep. When domestic animals are bitten, owners, Dr. Willsey said, should get a "booster" on them within five days. Or else, owners should quarantine such animals.

As noted, the outbreak of raccoon rabies first hit Nassau County last summer. "They've learned to live with us," Dr. Willsey said. Raccoons like the North Shore because of its proximity to the water. Raccoons, she said, especially like to board fishing boats in addition to finding their way to the usual places like trash bins.

More specifically, it was in August 2004 that the first rabid raccoon was found on Long Island. That raccoon had gotten into a fight with a dog, eventually perishing from the wounds.

Four people received a rabies exposure from that case alone, Dr. Willsey noted. The reason? They stepped in and tried to break up the fight between the two mammals.

Health officials immediately drew a three-mile circle around the discovery. For the rest of that month, health officials trapped and tested 353 raccoons. Only one tested positive for rabies. For the duration of 2004, health officials trapped 581 raccoons. This year, so far, 25 raccoons have been vaccinated. In addition to rounding up raccoons and vaccinating them, health officials also paint the mammals so as not to repeat the same exercise.

Then in the spring of 2005, a rabid raccoon was found in East Hills. For the reasons she gave earlier, Dr. Willsey said that the appearance of rabid raccoons in the village was "not totally unexpected."

While being on the lookout for "strange acting raccoons," residents should keep an eye on raccoons that are "wandering around," that make baby sounds, that are chewing their paws, that are "partly paralyzed" and that are always "picking fights with other dogs." In addition to reporting such raccoon activity, residents are advised to stay out of the mammal fight.