Abstract
The elimination of rabies transmitted by Classical Rabies Virus (RABV) in the European Union (EU) is now in sight. Scientific advances have made it possible to develop oral vaccination for wildlife by incorporating rabies vaccines in baits for foxes. At the start of the 1980s, aerial distribution of vaccine baits was tested and found to be a promising tool. The EU identified rabies elimination as a priority, and provided considerable financial and technical resources to the infected EU Member States, allowing regular and large-scale rabies eradication programs based on aerial vaccination. The EU also provides support to non-EU countries in its eastern and south eastern borders. The key elements of the rabies eradication programs are oral rabies vaccination (ORV), quality control of vaccines and control of their distribution, rabies surveillance and monitoring of the vaccination effectiveness. EU Member States and non-EU countries with EU funded eradication programs counted on the technical support of the rabies subgroup of the Task Force for monitoring disease eradication and of the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) for rabies. In 2018, eight rabies cases induced by classical rabies virus RABV (six in wild animals and two in domestic animals) were detected in three EU Member States, representing a sharp decrease compared to the situation in 2010, where there were more than 1500 cases in nine EU Member States. The goal is to reach zero cases in wildlife and domestic animals in the EU by 2020, a target that now seems achievable.
Highlights
Classical terrestrial rabies caused by the rabies virus (RABV) has evolved for so long in the Old World that we are not certain of its exact origin [1]
The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) are joining forces to support countries as they seek to accelerate their actions towards the elimination of dog-mediated rabies by 2030 [8]
All rabies vaccine baits used in the European Union (EU) for oral vaccination of wildlife need to fulfil the requirements of the European Pharmacopoeia monograph in terms of efficacy, safety, and stability [42], and need to have a marketing authorization in accordance with the EU legislation on veterinary medicinal products
Summary
Classical terrestrial rabies caused by the rabies virus (RABV) has evolved for so long in the Old World that we are not certain of its exact origin [1]. RABV initially spread widely in Europe as a dog mediated disease. The disease started to decline gradually at the beginning of the 20th century, probably due to sanitary control measures involving restrictions on dog movements and the establishment of city pounds and shelters, but the exact reasons are not precisely documented [3]. The disease spread inexorably across Europe in all directions within a few decades with a speed of approximatively 15–60 km per year to reach France as the western-most country infected in 1968, and Italy in 1980 [5]. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) are joining forces to support countries as they seek to accelerate their actions towards the elimination of dog-mediated rabies by 2030 [8]. The efforts made in the European Union fulfils this Global Strategic Plan, targeting that no longer human death occurs due to this ancient and terrible disease
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