Prophylactic measures applied in Romania to combat rabies in the sylvatic environment

Abstract

Rabies is an infectious disease found in all species of homeothermic animals, characterized by acute evolution with nervous manifestations expressed by hyperexcitability and aggression followed by paralysis and death. Rabies is a serious viral zoonosis caused by the Rabies virus that affects domestic animals, wild animals and humans. Being one of the most serious zoonoses, rabies is a disease of great economic and sanitary importance. In countries where outbreaks of rabies in domestic and wild animals are confirmed, the economic importance is given by the losses due to animal mortality but also by the costs that affect the budgets of the respective states for the implementation of surveillance programs disease control and eradication. As the fox is the main reservoir of rabies in Europe, the measures established by the oral vaccination (ORV) programs of foxes have resulted in the reduction of the incidence of rabies in many Western European countries. Anti-rabies vaccination of foxes takes place in regular campaigns carried out over several years, according to the annual decisions of the European Commission. Since 2011, a program co-financed by the European Union for oral vaccination of foxes has been implemented in Romania, divided into two campaigns per year, in spring and autumn. The anti-rabies vaccination of foxes is carried out throughout Romania, through the aerial distribution of vaccination baits, complemented by their manual distribution. After 45 days from the distribution of the vaccine, the fox hunting action begins, 4 foxes/year/100 km in order to take samples to test the effectiveness of the vaccination.