Penza, 6 April 2018. PenzaNews. A positive trend in cases of animal rabies in the Penza region, which had been observed before, was replaced by the tendency towards the increase of incidence rate in the second quarter of 2017, which was preserved in 2018. This was reported by the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor).

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"19 cases of animal rabies, seven – in foxes, nine – in dogs, and three – in cats, were registered in the Penza region in the first three months of 2018," the department specified adding that previously there had been only five cases registered over the same period.

Rospotrebnadzor explained that over the period from January to March animal rabies was registered in the territory of 13 municipalities including the Bessonovsky area – three cases, the Luninsky, Shemysheisky, Tamalinsky, and Gorodishchensky areas – two cases in each.

"Another tendency to be noted is the increase of cases of reference to a doctor caused by animal bites. In 2017 the number equalled to 221.7 per 100,000 population," the department said emphasizing that there had been no cases of rabies in people in the Penza region since 1991.

The department added that further increase in the incidence of rabies was forecast for the rest of 2018.