Epizootiological and Epidemiological Characteristics of Rabies in Russia in 2019–2021

Abstract

The review presents an analysis of the epizootic and epidemic situations on rabies in the Russian Federation in 2019–2021. During that period, there was a decrease in the activity of the epizootic process to the level of the 1990s characterized by overhunting of the fox, raccoon dog and corsac. The number of identified potentially hazardous areas declined by 20 %, and the number of sick animals registered in them decreased from 18 to 10. Since 2018, the share of domestic animals has prevailed over wild animals in the structure of animal incidence, and in 2021, the proportion of detected cases of rabies in wild animals was the smallest (37.9 %) over 11 years of observation (2011–2021). The leading role in maintaining the circulation of the rabies pathogen belonged to the fox, which accounted for 34.8–29.9 % of all animal cases in 2019–2021. The raccoon dog actively contributed to the circulation of the virus in the European part of Russia. Since 2012, a downward trend in the incidence of rabies among the population has been established (Tdw. = –9.5 %), the average long-term indicator was 5 cases per year. Dogs and cats that got involved into epizootic process predominated among the sources of hydrophobia – approximately 50 % of the cases. Poor compliance with the rules for keeping pets has led to an increase in human infection with rabies due to the animals in 2020–2021. In 2019–2021, the participation of bats in infecting humans with lyssavirus was established, which draws the attention to the need to study the role of bats in the circulation of lyssaviruses, primarily in the Far East. The risk of rabies infection persisted in almost all regions of the country. In the 21st century, natural foci of infection are ubiquitous in Russia.