The paper presents the epizootic and epidemiological situation of rabies in European countries during
the last decade. The presented results indicate that the oral immunisation of fox anti-rabies (ORV),
used in many European countries, significantly reduced the number of rabies cases found in ground
mammals, but did not eliminate the virus at all. Currently, the largest reservoir of the virus are Eastern
European countries where there are no immunisation activities or their effectiveness is low. Due to
the absence of geographical barriers, the virus reappears in countries that have been described as free
from rabies. As a rule, it is dragged into these areas along with the movement of companion animals
and by people travelling to countries where the prevalence of the virus is common. It should be
emphasised that due to the significant elimination of the virus in wild and domestic animals, it found
quite quickly found a new reservoir in a specific group of mammals, having the ability to fly, like
bats. Currently there is no possibility of carrying out any preventive measures in bats, so all the virus
strains found in this group of animals are dangerous to humans, raising possibilities of
epidemiological threat. It should be noted that despite the significant elimination of rabies in many
European countries, given the almost unlimited possibilities of virus transmission to new areas, it still
poses a serious threat to public health. Thus, it is necessary to constantly monitor the occurrence