SERBIA MARKS WORLD RABIES DAY AS A COUNTRY ONE STEP TO ERADICATION OF RABIES

Belgrade, 28 september 2015

Serbia is making visible progress in eradication of animal diseases and zoonisis, namely in elimination of rabies. As this topic is very complex with involvement of different interested parties, the Serbian Veterinary Directorate has coherent, holistic and comprehensive approach. Joint effort of Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the EU has already resulted with significant decrease of rabies cases in Serbia.

Annual National conference entitled “Serbia one step to eradication of rabies”, that will be held on World Rabies Day in Belgrade, will gather the most important experts in the veterinary and human health institutions, representatives of many stakeholders and public and animal health policy leaders, which successfully collaborate with goal to eradicate rabies  during last 10 years.

National conference is an opportunity for representatives of institutions to share experiences and to learn how each sector contributes to achieving the free status from rabies. Also, it is an opportunity to inform the public about the progress in the implementation of prevention and control measures in the eradication of rabies. There will be discussed about Serbian new Strategy and results achieved in combating rabies, about monitoring of oral vaccination of foxes and other wild carnivores to rabies, about the importance of regional cooperation because “rabies knows no borders” and about participation of hunters and other stakeholders in disease control.

During the Conference there will be an announcement of the series training that will be implemented throughout Serbia in cooperation with European experts in order to achieve better implementation of strategic measures in rabies and CSF control.

National conference is part of more complex two-years European Union funded Project “Capacity building for development of Animal Disease Compensation Fund and other services”. The Project is implemented by European Consulting Group in Consortium with Tragsatec, IAK, and Ankey.