A press conference was held in the EU Delegation today to brief the media on a successful completion of the five year programme for animal health in BiH in the specific area of rabies, as the animal disease that is zoonosis i.e. transferable from animals to people.

It was organised within the EU funded Technical Assistance project in coordination of animal disease control and eradication programmes in BiH, together with the lead beneficiary institution, Veterinary Office of BiH.

The media were addressed by Martin Schieder, Head of operations Section for Economic Reforms, infrastructure and natural Resources of the EU Delegation to BiH and Ljubomir Kalaba, dr. vet. .med, director of the Veterinary Office of BiH. The EU Technical Assistance project team, Sanja Separovic dr.vet.med. and Katarina Tosic, dr.vet.med. informed on specificities of the rabies disease, trends in the region as well as indicators of achievements.

The multi-annual animal control programme, coordinated and managed by the Veterinary office of BiH with the EU funding invested into its implementation contributed to an improved animal health in this aspect as well as to public health in BiH, given that this disease is transmittable from animals to people. Therefore, a strategic and long term control of this animal disease is crucial for pertaining the status of BiH as the country with zero rabies cases is 2015 and so far in 2016.

The programme is a part of a larger, EU launched and funded regional programme, covering other IPA countries in the Balkans since 2011.