Authorities in one Long Island county are issuing an imminent public health threat over a concerning rise in the number of cases of rabies, a disease local health officials say they eradicated nearly a decade ago.

Nassau County declared that the spread of rabies has become an "imminent public health threat" after afflicted animals from Queens have made their way onto Long Island, reigniting a problem that has been locally dormant for years.

It’s a disease that’s so serious that only 14 people have ever survived it. Now that the number of reported non-human rabies cases has skyrocketed in Nassau County, its health commissioner has declared it to be an imminent public health threat to residents through animal transmission.