Nassau County health officials are sounding the alarm and issuing an imminent public health threat due to the spread of rabies.

The Nassau County Health Department reports that there have been 25 positive rabies tests since last July. This marks the worst the situation has been in nearly a decade, since the county announced it had eradicated terrestrial rabies in 2016.

Most of the cases in Nassau are among raccoons and feral cats, according to officials.

In January, county health officials said rabid animals were spotted in Cedarhurst, Hempstead, Hewlett, Massapequa Park, Roslyn Heights, Valley Stream and Hempstead.

In May, the Suffolk County Health Department said it had identified six positive rabies cases in raccoons and all in Amityville but none since then.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk Health Department said the county had zero rabies cases last year, marking six total for the same time period as Nassau County's 25. Suffolk plans to bait the county's four western towns starting in September in response to the positive cases this year.

Health officials say avoid feeding or touching wild animals or stray cats and dogs, make sure your pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations and keep pets indoors at night. Anyone who is bitten or scratched by an animal should seek immediate medical care.

Rabies is a serious viral disease that affects the nervous system in mammals, including humans. While preventable by quickly vaccinating after an exposure, it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

Stony Brook Children's Hospital Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division, Dr. Sharon Nachman, said the number of positive rabies cases is on the rise across the island and the summer is playing a role.

"It is a question of where you are and what the season is, and certainly the summertime is always associated with more bites and more worries about rabies," she said.

Last Friday, the state Health Department issued a warning and urged New Yorkers to take steps to prevent rabies infections during the summer.

Rabid animals have been found in all counties in New York, officials said. Last year, the state's Wadsworth Center Rabies Laboratory confirmed rabies in 313 wild and domestic animals. 

Nassau Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman is holding a media availability to discuss the rabies declaration issued by the Health Department today at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.