Record incidence of rabies: foxes will be shot in Vinnytsia

During the past decade in Ukraine, there has been a record increase in the incidence of animals contracting rabies. In particular, in Vinnytsia Region, there have been 74 confirmed cases of rabies among animals since the beginning of the year. This is why the region has decided to reintroduce artificial regulation of the fox population.

This decision was made during a meeting of the State Emergency Anti-Epizootic Commission. The commission discussed the need to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of rabies among animals.

According to the commission's decision, brigades will be created to cull red foxes in Vinnytsia Region, excluding forested lands, and measures will be taken to reduce the fox population to established norms of 0.5-1 fox per 1000 hectares of land. The culling is scheduled to start in October.

The culled foxes will be sent to local veterinary institutions for rabies testing. Rabies is a dangerous infectious disease that can be transmitted through bites and scratches. Without prompt treatment, rabies is almost always fatal.

Animals infected with rabies experience central nervous system damage, leading to changes in behavior and characteristic symptoms such as fear of light, throat spasms preventing the animal from drinking water, excessive salivation, and aggression.