Updated
Updated · Newsday · Sep 12
Suffolk Confirms 2nd Rabid Raccoon This Week After 1 Person Is Exposed in Babylon
Updated
Updated · Newsday · Sep 12

Suffolk Confirms 2nd Rabid Raccoon This Week After 1 Person Is Exposed in Babylon

3 articles · Updated · Newsday · Sep 12

Summary

  • A Babylon resident sought medical care after contacting an ill raccoon Wednesday; the animal later tested positive for rabies and the person is in good health.
  • Suffolk health officials said the case is the county's second rabid raccoon found this week after a dead raccoon in Bay Shore also tested positive, with no human or pet exposures there.
  • The two animals raise Suffolk's confirmed terrestrial rabies total to 44 since February 2025, with positive results reported to officials on Friday.
  • Health authorities urged residents to avoid wild or stray animals, vaccinate pets, and report abnormally behaving raccoons to county police or state environmental officials.

Insights

A rabid raccoon can look perfectly normal, so how safe are your pets in Suffolk County despite ongoing vaccine drops?
With 44 rabies cases since 2025, are Suffolk County's 240,000 vaccine baits enough to stop this deadly wildlife outbreak?
As rabies spreads across the Northeast, what hidden ecological factors are driving this persistent and deadly viral surge in our backyards?