Epidemiology and elimination of rabies in western Europe

In recent years, most of the research on the control of sylvatic rabies has concentrated on developing methods of oral vaccination of wild rabies vectors. In order to improve both the safety and the stability of the vaccine used, a recombinant vaccinia virus, which expresses the immunizing glycoprotein of rabies virus (VRG), has been developed and extensively tested in the laboratory as well as in the field. Between 1989 and 1995, several million VRG vaccine doses have been dispersed in Western Europe for the vaccination of red foxes, leading to the elimination of sylvatic rabies from large areas, which have consequently been freed from the need for vaccination. This approach may have consequences for the regulation of pet movement within the whole European Union.