Oral rabies vaccination from the air
2012-01-30

In the second half of last year, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management, and Veterinary Directorate, in cooperation with the European Commission and with the support of the Cluster of Serbian Aeronautical Industry, began a program of oral vaccination of foxes and other wild animals with the air dropped vaccine bait. The goal of the campaign is to eradicate rabies among wild animals in Serbia and the entire area of Southeast Europe into a broader campaign funded by the European Union through the IPA funding.

 

The program itself lasts for 5 years of vaccination and vaccines are distributed from the air in the entire territory of Serbia twice a year. So far, two actions were performed, one in October 2010, and another in May this year. In one action it is being distributed between 1.4 and 1.6 million baits with vaccine. Baits are dropped by airplanes and helicopters, and one of the main participants in the action on the territory Serbia is a member of UVIS, "STS Aviation", whose planes have had over 2600 flying hours and dropped more than three million vaccines in this campaign so far.