Epidemiological Situation of Rabies in the Ramonsky District of the Voronezh Region

Rabies is a serious problem for the Voronezh region. Uneven use of cultivated land leads to an increase in the populations of both rodents and foxes. The increase in the number of animal reservoirs of lyssavirus creates favorable conditions for its spread near human habitation. In the Voronezh region, there is a tendency for the intensity of rabies foci to increase in the direction from the northeast to the southwest, which is probably due to the higher population density in the southwestern and central regions of the region and the large number of dogs and cats, as well as the diversity of open forest-steppe landscapes - habitats foxes are the main wild reservoirs of rabies. Ramonsky district belongs to the group of areas of the region with average activity of rabies foci. Over the past 10 years (2014-2023), 27 cases of rabies among animals have been reported in the Ramonsky district. Hydrophobia has been recorded in 4 species: dogs, cats, foxes and ferrets. The largest number of cases of hydrophobia occurred in dogs: 12 cases, 44.4%; foxes were less frequently infected: 8 cases, 29.7%. In cats, 6 cases were registered over 10 years, 22.2%, one case of rabies was detected in a ferret, 3.7%. The focus of rabies occupying the territories of Ramonsky and adjacent areas of the region should be considered mixed or street-forest.