Modelling rabies control in the UK: The inclusion of vaccination

British Government policy on wildlife rabies control has always concentrated exclusively on poison baiting of foxes. This approach has been followed, because unlike continental countries, a rabies outbreak would originate from a focal point of infection. Given the level of success of rabies vaccination on the European continent, it is time to evaluate the possible inclusion of vaccines into rabies control in the U.K. This paper details the recent development of MAFFs Rabies Model to include vaccination and revised fox contact data. A number of different strategies are examined by this new model, including poisoning, vaccination, and poisoning combined with a ring of vaccination. The results of each strategy are presented, and discussed in terms of rabies control in the U.K.