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Rabies risk rises due to dearth of jabs for dogs
View(s):Rabies might spread rapidly in Sri Lanka this year due to shortages of anti-rabies vaccines for dogs, the director general of Public Health Veterinary Services Dr L D Kithsiri warned.
There were no stocks in stores in the Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Matara, Hambanthota, and Gampaha Districts. Supplies had not been imported, he said.
Last year, 27 people died from rabies. Among them, 17 became infected from dog bites, Dr Kithsiri said. Five deaths were reported each from the Jaffna, Gampaha and Kalutara Districts, and the rest were from across the country.
Dog bites account for 95% of infections. The main reason for dog bite related deaths in Sri Lanka is non-vaccination of dogs against rabies. There are about 7 mn dogs and only around 1.5m are vaccinated annually.
Stray doggos on the roads. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Public Health Services declared that vaccination drives until February would be carried out using remaining vaccines in regional stores.
But such programmes would end after February if the vaccine shortage continued.
In 2022, the PHS vaccinated a million dogs against rabies and sterilised 40,000 female dogs, Dr Kithsiri said.
On the other hand, there is no shortage of vaccines for humans who are admitted to hospitals. Nearly one million who are infected have been vaccinated in Western Province, which has reported the highest number of dog bites.
Vaccination of doggies in progess.
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