Evaluation of the success of oral fox vaccination in relation to rabies control on Croatian territory

Sa？etak This study presents an overview of the efficiency of the oral vaccination campaign in the territory of the Republic of Croatia in the period from 2010 to 2017, and the number and range of infected foxes across the entire territory of the country. Over a period of seven years, a total of more than 30,000 foxes were tested for rabies. In addition, a large number of other wild and domestic animals, which could represent a potential source of infection, were also tested for rabies. The results show that oral vaccination was an effective method of suppressing this lethal disease in wild and, consequently, in domestic animals, given the fact that after almost 40 years of the permanent presence of rabies on our territory, the disease was finally eradicated. Prior to the commencement of the oral vaccination campaign in 2010, we had 15.8 % positive specimens from all foxes tested for rabies, and after just one oral immunization campaign, a year later, this percentage decreased to 9 % positive individuals. In four years from the beginning of the oral vaccination campaign, none of the animals tested in the Republic of Croatia had been infected with the rabies virus, indicating the high effectiveness of the action taken. The results of the study indicate the extremely positive effect of the oral vaccination campaign on controlling and suppressing the reservoirs and vectors of rabies