Following the discovery of seven rabid skunks in the North Country, and recent cases of potential human exposure in St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties, $875,000 has been added the Senate's budget plan to fight and prevent the deadly disease.

The increase, coming on top of $50,000 in funding proposed by the governor, would set a new record for rabies prevention budget funding, according to a press release from Sen. Pattie Ritchie, R-Heuvelton.

“As we continue to see more and more rabies cases pop up across the state—especially in our region—it’s becoming increasingly important to invest in efforts that stop its spread,” said Ritchie, whose district includes the western half of St. Lawrence County including Ogdensburg, Canton and Gouverneur.

With more than 2,300 cases reported statewide since 2010, rabies has been on the rise in New York State. In that time period, there were more than 140 cases throughout Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties, including 17 in 2015.

In addition, funds have also been used to expand the familiar rabies vaccine program organized by Cornell University, which uses low-flying planes to drop small packets containing a vaccine, surrounded by a mixture of sugar, vegetable fat and other flavors that are then consumed by animals, namely raccoons.

A deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system, rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. While infected mammals can transmit rabies to humans and other animals, human cases of rabies are rare. Under New York State law, dogs, cats and ferrets must receive rabies vaccinations to protect public health.