Hydrophobia deadlier than dengue in Kurunegala

Stanley Seneviratne - Kurunegala North group corr.

Hydrophobia has killed 56 people in 2007, 51 in 2008 and 58 in 2009 in Sri Lanka, Anti-rabies officials said. The officials citing data said hydrophobia had claimed 38 lives in Kurunegala during the last decade, while it had claimed more lives than dengue.

The officials aired their views at a meeting to discuss the sterilization program in Kurunegala and Puttalam districts at the Provincial Health Ministry auditorium, Kurunegala.

North Western Province Health, Indigenous Medicine, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Asoka Wadigamangawa said authorities spend around Rs 600 million annually to protect people from hydrophobia.

The anti-rabies serum injection that costs Rs 22,000 contributes to the higher expenditure, he said.

The officials while stressing the need to save human lives pointed out that sterilization of dogs could help fight rabies at a lesser cost.

They alleged that some Health Ministry officials were trying to halt the ongoing sterilization program.

The anti-rabies officials citing official data said the disease killed more than 50,000 people around the globe annually.

Last year’s figure reached 56,000 with a majority of the deaths reported from Africa and Asia.

Officials said 25,040 and 22,141 people were vaccinated against rabies in 2008 and 2009.

The causalities are in the low-income group as more cyclists become victims, they said.

Most immunized dogs are from Kurunegala district’s Galgamuwa and Giribawa divisions.

Ratnapura comes second in the immunization project Data revealed that Rs 500 million had been spent on vaccinating around 150,000 dogs in Kurunegala in the past 18 months.

The Minister said the district officials in the Kurunegala district were satisfied with the ongoing anti-rabies efforts in their areas.