Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Department of Health is warning residents to be cautious after the number of raccoons testing positive for rabies has doubled from this time last year. Environmental Health Director Ed Coons said six out of seven raccoons have tested positive in the past nine weeks, up from three cases during the same period last year. The rabies virus is usually spread through an animal bite and from the saliva of an infected animal. The infected animal usually dies within 10 days of exposure to the virus. The virus is rarely spread to humans, but poses a danger to pets that spend time outdoors, Coons said. The raccoon population has increased this year, possibly due to the milder winter, and so has the number of rabies cases, he said. There have been no human cases reported to date, Coons said. Anyone who sees a possibly rabid animal is advised to contact local police, and any potential exposure to a wild or stray animal should be reported to the Columbia County Health Department, he said. According to the county Department of Health, “The public is...reminded not to handle, capture or attempt to confine any wild animals. Not only does attempting to handle wild animals pose a health risk, [but] it is [also] illegal under New York state law.” The county Department of Health offers free rabies vaccination clinics for the cats, dogs and ferrets of county residents. A full list is available on the Columbia County Department of Health website at www [dot] ColumbiaCountyNYHealth [dot] com or by phone at (518) 828-3358. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.