The New York State Department of Health has confirmed four additional cases of rabies found in a raccoon this year in Nassau County. Two of them were in the Roslyn area. The animals were collected by the Nassau County Department of Health in Roslyn Harbor, Flower Hill, Locust Valley and Hicksville. This brings the total number of rabid raccoons in 2005 to 28. In 2004, 10 raccoons were confirmed rabid. "Since raccoons can be found throughout Nassau County, it is neither unexpected to find increasing numbers of raccoons with the disease, nor to find the disease migrating across the county," said Dr. David M. Ackerman, the county's commissioner of health. Dr. Ackerman is also asking residents to report seeing any animal, especially raccoons or possums that are ill, dead or acting unusually, to the Nassau County Department of Health at 571-2290. "For the safety of your family, do not attempt to feed or handle any wild or unfamiliar domestic animal," he said. Dr. Ackerman also stressed the importance of having your pets vaccinated.

New York State law requires all dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies.

In 2004, when the first rabid raccoon was discovered in the county, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with the Nassau County Department of Health, launched a program in Nassau County to trap and test animals for rabies. They also distributed raccoon rabies vaccine by hand and by helicopter.

The cases in Roslyn Harbor and Flower Hill are part of a health problem that has existed in New York State for over a decade, but one that has only recently 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.

Last April, East Hills officials decided to host a briefing on the problem. 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 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.

In her talk, Dr. Willsey acknowledged 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.

Raccoons, Dr. Willsey observed, like the North Shore because of its proximity to the water. They especially like to board fishing boats in addition to finding their way to the usual places like trash bins.

In August 2004, 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.

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.

This year, the New York State Department of Health and the county are continuing to conduct surveillance and vaccination programs. The goal is to limit or prevent the establishment of terrestrial rabies on Long Island by capturing sick raccoons and vaccinating a substantial percentage of healthy raccoons.

For protection from exposure to rabies, the Health Department makes many of the same recommendations given by Dr. Willsey. The include:

Individuals bitten or scratched by any animal should immediately contact their physicians or seek medical help at a hospital emergency room and then call the Nassau County Department of Health.

Do not feed wildlife or stray animals and discourage them from seeking food near your home.

Verify that your pets have current rabies vaccinations, including dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and horses.

Keep domestic animals (dogs, cats, and ferrets) on a leash when outdoors and keep livestock confined in the evenings.

Do not touch or have contact with any animal other than your own.

Do not touch dying or dead animals. If you must move them, use a shovel, wear heavy rubber gloves and double bag the carcass.

Advise your family against approaching any unknown animal -- wild or domestic -- especially those acting in an unusual way.

Instruct your children to tell you immediately if they were bitten or scratched by any animal.

If a bat is found in a room where adults or children were sleeping, or if an adult enters a room and finds a bat with a child, notify the county health department immediately. Do not release the bat.

Keep garbage cans tightly covered and avoid storing any food outside.

Nuisance wildlife that appears to be healthy or acting normally can be referred to a licensed wildlife trapper for removal.

For information regarding rabies visit the department website at www.co.nassau.ny.us/health or the state website at www.state.ny.us/nydoh/zoonoses/rabies or call the Nassau County Department of Health at (516) 571-2500 or the New York State Department of Health at (518) 474-3186 weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.