A wave of rabid raccoons creeping west from Suffolk County has set off a full-scale response in Nassau, where county trucks will begin scattering bait laced with rabies vaccine across parks, preserves and residential fringes starting next week.
Between April 21 and May 2, government vehicles will crawl through neighborhoods and green spaces tossing fish-scented vaccine packets — designed to lure raccoons — in an attempt to halt the virus before it digs in further.
The vaccine pouches, according to Nassau health officials, come sealed in translucent plastic bags and are about the size and shape of a ketchup packet — with the added punch of a fishy odor strong enough to draw in even the wariest raccoons.
The zones set for treatment read like a list of suburban staples: Massapequa, Farmingdale, Bethpage, Roslyn, Garden City, Elmont, and Valley Stream. County maps show bait will hit high-foot-traffic areas, including the Massapequa Preserve, Bethpage State Park, and the scenic grounds of the Nassau County Museum of Art.
The move comes days after a fourth raccoon tested positive for rabies in Amityville, just over the Nassau line in Suffolk, on April 11. The infected animal is the latest confirmation that the virus is inching toward more densely populated zones.
“We are very concerned that rabies is spreading along our western border,” said Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, as reported by The New York Post. “We are exploring options to curtail further spread, including the deployment of oral rabies vaccine for the raccoon population.”
Authorities have asked residents not to tamper with the bait if found. If a packet turns up too close to home or in a spot frequented by children or pets, adults are advised to nudge it gently with a shoe into a more concealed area.
Nassau has not confirmed any raccoon rabies cases inside its own borders yet — but the baiting strategy signals officials aren’t waiting around for the first one to show.
