RISK OF RABIES IN SERBIA IS ON HISTORICAL MINIMUM

The risk of rabies in the wild animal population in the Republic of Serbia is on the historical minimum. This was one of the key conclusions at the National Conference “Serbia one step to eradication of rabies”, held to mark the World Rabies Day, on 28^th of September 2015, in Belgrade.

The program of measures for prevention and control of rabies, with support of the European Union, is being conducted in Serbia for years. It has now resulted with only three cases of rabies in wildlife population recorded in 2014 and in 2015. The last case of rabies in domestic animals was recorded in 2012. Thanks to the technical assistance of the EU, a proposed new strategy for combating rabies 2015-2022 proposes the effective implementation of monitoring the efficiency of vaccination of domestic and wild carnivores and raising the level of preparedness for managing outbreaks, including public awareness.

The National Conference was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Veterinary Directorate, in cooperation with the EU Delegation in Serbia and the EU funded project “Capacity building for development of Animal Disease Compensation Fund and other services” led by the European Consulting Group. It has gathered more than one hundred experts in the field of veterinary and human medicine, representatives of state institutions and organizations, hunting associations, which work and collaborate with the Veterinary Directorate on control and eradication of rabies.

Conference participants were introduced to the system of protection of human rabies in Serbia and to the methodology of monitoring for the oral vaccination of the foxes. They are also informed about the role of hunters and veterinary services, about the situation in the Western Balkan and about the activities of the current EU project related to rabies, classical swine fever, national compensation fond and capacity building. The Veterinary Directorate announced a series of training sessions that will be organized throughout Serbia, in cooperation with the project, in order to better implement measures in combating infectious diseases, especially rabies and classical swine fever.

The National Conference was a part of the complex two-year project “Capacity building for development of Animal Disease Compensation Fund and other services”, provided by the Veterinary Directorate with technical and financial support of the European Union. The Project is implemented by European Consulting Group in Consortium with Tragsatec, IAK, and Ankey.

All information about the project available at the link http://www.vet.minpolj.gov.rs/projekti/fond