Mineola, NY – Nassau County Legislator Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove) is encouraging all residents to bring their pets for free rabies vaccinations on Saturday, September 18 th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Town of Oyster Bay Animal Shelter, located at 150 Miller Place in Syosset.

“Long Island has been essentially rabies free for decades, however, recently several incidents have been reported confirming rabid raccoons throughout Nassau County,” said Legislator Yatauro. “It is essential that all residents do their part to protect themselves and their pets by receiving a free vaccination immediately.”

Rabies is a viral infecti on that affects the nervous system of raccoons and other mamma including humans. It is transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal or may also be transmitted when the saliva of a rabid animal comes into contact with an open cut, scratch or lesion. The disease is always fatal once clinical signs of infection occur.

The New York State Department of Health and Nassau County Department of Health have been doing everything they can to expand and control terrestrial rabies on Long Island. Both health departments are working cooperatively to trap and vaccinate animals in a two mile radius around the areas where the very first rabid raccoon was detected and they will continue to move forward with an aggressive program to immunize raccoons while continuing intensive surveillance for sick animals. Beginning early this month, the health department will enlarge the vaccination program by dispersing raccoon bait across a large portion of Oyster Bay. This bait contains a rabies vaccine that will immunize any raccoon that ingests it.