With a rabid raccoon reported earlier this year, bringing the total number to 11 since 2004, the New York State Department of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services (USDA) will again be distributing raccoon rabies vaccine by hand and by helicopter to protect residents from rabies.

What: Beginning this week, a low-flying helicopter will be dropping small packets of an oral rabies vaccine in raccoon habitats, including woods, bushes and streambeds. Hand baiting, beginning today, will be targeted for more densely populated residential areas. The bait is a small packet of liquid vaccine which is inside a brown fishmeal cube to attract raccoons.

When: Hand distribution: Monday, May 2nd - Monday May 9th
Helicopter baiting (weather permitting): Tuesday, May 3rd - Thursday, May 5th
(Rain dates: to be determined)

Where: Helicopter baiting: The helicopter will fly over two areas, totaling approximately 63-square miles. These are less densely populated areas located primarily in the Town of Oyster Bay and part of the Town of North Hempstead. The areas to be covered by the helicopter are bounded approximately by:

See the attached map

Where: Hand baiting: Hand baiting, via truck, will occur in more densely populated areas, south and west of the helicopter baiting areas, and includes parts of the Towns of Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, Hempstead and the City of Glen Cove. The area to be covered by hand baiting will be south to Old Country Road, and west to the Queens border, Middle Neck Road and Great Neck Road

Why: With 11 raccoons infected with rabies to date, there is a high probability that other raccoons are also infected. Because of the threat to wildlife and domestic animals from terrestrial rabies, action needs to be taken quickly to prevent rabies from becoming endemic here.

Who: Veterinarians and wildlife biologists from the New York State Department of Health Zoonoses Program will conduct the vaccination program in cooperation with the USDA.

How: Raccoons are attracted by the scent of the bait and are immunized when they eat the contents of the packets.

Recommendations: The New York State and Nassau County Departments of Health recommend:

• To avoid inadvertent contact with the baits, supervise children's outdoor activities both during and for approximately one week following the bait distribution.
• Keep all dogs and cats indoors or on leashes during the oral bait distribution and for about a week afterwards. This will allow raccoons to eat the vaccine-laden baits and become immunized and will decrease the chance of pets eating the baits.
• The baits are not harmful to dogs or cats, but a pet may vomit if they eat a large number of them. Do not try to remove a packet from an animal's mouth.
• CONTACT THE POISON CONTROL CENTER AT 542-2323:
• Call immediately in the unlikely event that a child bites through the packet and ingests the liquid.
• Wash hands immediately before calling to report the exposure if anyone comes in bare-hand contact with the bait (even if the bait is intact.) The bait packet itself will not harm anyone.
• Call if you have seen your pet with bait in its mouth.
• Remember that it is not possible to get rabies from the vaccine. The vaccine does not contain the rabies virus. It does contain attenuated vaccinia virus. This is a weakened version of the virus used in people for smallpox vaccination.
• If residents find bait near their homes, but not in the open, leave it alone. The bait packets have a strong fishmeal smell that is not attractive to people or to most other animals. (There is a label that clearly identifies the bait packet: "Rabies Vaccine Live Vaccinia Vector. Do Not Disturb, Merial, Inc Us Vet Lic. No. 298 1-877-722-6725.")
• If the bait is intact and out in the open where pets or children are more likely to encounter it, toss it into deeper cover under trees or bushes while wearing gloves or using a plastic bag.
• Residents who see raccoons should NOT try to trap the raccoons themselves. Call a licensed trapper.

General Information: Rabies is a viral infection that affects the nervous system of raccoons and other mammals, including humans. The disease is always fatal once clinical signs of infection occur. Vaccination will greatly decrease the chance of human and domestic animal contact with rabid raccoons. Rabies is transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal. However, the virus may also be transmitted when the saliva of a rabid animal comes into contact with cut, open, or scratched skin lesions. To protect yourself from exposure to possible rabies:

• Keep domestic animals (dogs, cats, ferrets) on a leash 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, DO NOT RELEASE THE BAT, notify the county health department immediately.
• Do not feed unknown animals and discourage them from seeking food near your home
• Keep garbage cans tightly covered and avoid storing any food outside.
• Verify that your pets have current rabies vaccination, including dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and horses.
• Remember that New York State law requires all dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies.

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.

For information regarding rabies and baiting, call Nassau County Department of Health at (516) 571-2290 weekdays from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM or visit the department website at www.nassaucountyny.gov/health/ or the state website at www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/zoonoses/rabies.htm.