Manorville raccoon tests positive for rabies, Suffolk warns residents

A raccoon that had direct contact with a person on private property in Manorville tested positive for rabies. The animal marked Suffolk County’s 31st positive terrestrial rabies confirmation since Feb. 7. It was also the first terrestrial rabies case tied to eastern Suffolk, after every previous case this year had been found in western Suffolk.

The geographic shift led officials to suspect the animal had been relocated by another person. Officials urged anyone who may have transported a raccoon from western Long Island to Manorville to contact the county, and they reminded residents not to touch or move wild animals.

If a raccoon is acting strangely, call the Suffolk County Police Department or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Rabies is a universally fatal disease, and quick testing and treatment after exposure can prevent a human death.

Anyone bitten, scratched or exposed to the saliva of a suspected rabid animal should wash the wound immediately and call a doctor and county health agency. In counties outside New York City, officials must authorize treatment for people exposed within the county. State law also bars people from keeping wild animals as pets, and dogs, cats and ferrets, along with horses and valuable livestock, should stay current on rabies vaccinations.

The Manorville case came as Suffolk continued its broader effort to control raccoon rabies through an oral vaccination program. The Wadsworth Center at the New York State Department of Health posts current and historical rabies specimen data for analysis and public-health planning.