Rabies in Lublin Voivodeship: Effectiveness of prophylactic vaccination of free-living foxes and its impact on wild animal population in the last decade

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the epizootic situation of rabies in Lublin Voivodeship in a ten-year period (2005-2014) of a prophylactic vaccination of foxes, against the background of the population dynamics of the species, which is the primary vector of the virus. In addition, an evaluation of the effectiveness and costs of preventive measures was carried out. During the assessment period, despite a fluctuating distribution of the virus occurrence in wild and domestic animals, there was a relative stabilization in the number of reported rabies cases. As in previous years, the primary reservoir of the virus were wild foxes and, among domestic animals, dogs and cats. Most cases in this region were found near the national border, which is due to the lack of preventive measures in Ukraine and Belarus, as well as migrations of animals. During the ten years of the study, the density of free-living fox population and the hunting rates were high. The results, showing high rates of vaccine ingestion by foxes and a high fox population density, confirm the effectiveness of vaccination, which in turn resulted in increased predation and further decrease in the main species of small animals, which has continued for several years. An economic analysis of preventive measures against rabies indicates that the cost of preventive vaccination increased each year, and consisted mostly of the cost of the vaccine..