The 7th Standing Group of Experts on Rabies for Europe was held in Belgrade, Serbia, on 24 September 2025, as part of the First GF-TADs Conference of SGEs on Priority Transboundary Animal Diseases in the European region, which took place from 22 to 25 September 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia.
The SGE RAB 7 provided an analysis of the 2017-2024 Members’ progress toward rabies elimination (2017–2024), showing regional coordination in oral rabies vaccination (ORV) despite administrative and pandemic-related setbacks. This was followed by the SGE RAB Members’ plans for 2025–2026, noting that most countries will continue ORV campaigns, while also focusing on public awareness and stakeholders training in some cases. Two ANSES experts then addressed rabies re-emergence in Central Europe, underlining strategies to prevent resurgence in the region.
The final part of the session included an interactive discussion highlighting three key areas: strengthening passive surveillance; ensuring sustainable funding and regional coordination of ORV campaigns; and improving cross-border coordination
The SGE RAB8 will be held in 2026, in a format ensuring opportunities to share experiences and discuss common issues.
The conference was held in a hybrid format, gathering approximately 110 participants in person from 42 countries. An additional 180 online participants were registered.
To learn more about the full GF-TADs Conference, click here.
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Session 5: SGE RAB-7
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| 11:30 | Opening | Chair – Bernard Van Goethem. |
| 11:35 | SGE RAB Members’ Vaccination and Rabies Control Progress, 2017-2024
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Anne Meyer (Episystemic, epidemiologist) & SRR Brussels. |
| 11:55 | 2025-2026 Plans of SGE RAB Members
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Denise Dubois (WOAH, SGE-RAB Secretariat). |
| 12:05
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Sylvatic Rabies re-emergences in Central Europe
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Emmanuelle Robardet (ANSES Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife, WOAH/EU Reference Laboratory for rabies). |
| 12:20 | Measures to Prevent Rabies Resurgence in the European Union
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Florence Cliquet (ANSES Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife, WOAH/EU Reference Laboratory for rabies). |
| 12:35 | Interactive discussion | SGE RAB Secretariat + ANSES Rabies Experts (Dr. Florence Cliquet & Dr. Emmanuelle Robardet)
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| 13:00 | Lunch | |
| 14:00
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Recommendations & Conclusions | Chair – Dr Bernard Van Goethem |
| 14:15 | Rabies elimination in Ukraine: One Health approach, communication, and lessons learned
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Olena Kuriata-Pavlenko (OH Officer, WHO Ukraine)
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Members of the SGE Rabies: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
The 7th SGE on Rabies and the 1st GF-TADs Conference were held thanks to financial support from the European Union
