Rs. 300 m allocated annually for rabies control

Public Health Veterinary Services under the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has taken measures to conduct several awareness programmes at District and Provincial level to educate the public and students on rabies to mark the World Rabies Day tomorrow.

This programme has been organised under the theme ‘Work Together to Eliminate Rabies.’ Vaccinating home-bred and stray dogs and sterilisation to control the dog population will be undertaken islandwide.

At least 55,000 humans die from rabies each year around the world and 31,000 humans die in Asia each year. Upto September 2008, 34 people have died from rabies in Sri Lanka, showing a decline when compared to the corresponding period last year.

The Health Ministry has been able to decrease the mortality by vaccinating and sterilising the dogs and vaccinating humans bitten by suspected dogs.

The Government has taken measures to vaccinate about 437,000 dogs out of about the two and a half million dog population in Sri Lanka. It has planned to vaccinate 200,000 dogs this year.

Under the rabies relief programme, 53,000 bitches could be sterilised and about 65,000 stray dogs could be vaccinated and temporarily sterilised. These sterilised dogs bear a V shape cut on their ear.

The Government has allocated about Rs. 93 million to sterilise dogs for 2008 and the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has taken measures to obtain Rs. 200 million to undertake this programme throughout the island for 2009.

Deputy Director General (Public Health Services) Dr. P. G. Mahipala said the islandwide long term programme has been taken to control the dog population at District and Provincial level to achieve the target of other countries.

Director of Public Health Veterinary Services under the Department of Health Dr. P. L. Harischandra told a media briefing at the Health Education Bureau on September 24 that under the rabies relief programme, 50 three wheelers will be bought at Rs. 16 million and distributed among 25 districts to vaccinate and sterilise the dogs by going from village to village.

It was also revealed that 400,000 humans are bitten by dogs and admitted to hospitals every year.

The Health Ministry requested the public to co-operate by vaccinating dogs on time and sterilise them to eliminate rabies completely from Sri Lanka by 2016.