EN
A retrospective analysis of data concerning laboratory diagnostics of rabies covering the period 1965-1994 has been performed. During this time 5743 animals including 1687 (29.4%) rabies positive, have been examined. The average number of positive case per year was 56.2 and a standard deviation 49.5 confirms a high dispersion of annual incidence of rabies around a mean yearly number of cases. A typical sinusoid course of rabies with peaks every 4-5 years was observed. The highest number of rabies incidence in Poland was noted every year in the Opole region. The statistical analysis of the rabies epidemic revealed its growing tendency according to the equation f(x) = 3.09x + 11.36. Foxes comprised 83.7% of all positive cases. Among all domestic animals the highest incidence of rabies was noted in cats (8.4%) and dogs (3.0%). The increased number of rabies incidence in cattle in recent year is worth noting. It is reasonable to assume that only vaccination of free-living foxes and extending of the vaccination program onto cats enables reduction the effective of the number of rabies incidence in the Opole region.