February 23, Colombo (LNW): In a recent letter addressed to the Minister of Health, the Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) raised serious concerns about the current management of the rabies eradication programme, questioning why it is being overseen by the Health Ministry when experienced veterinary professionals in the Veterinary Department are available to take charge.
The AWC has expressed its suspicions regarding the shift of responsibility for the programme in 2017, noting that although it was initially transferred to the Health Ministry for a six-month period, it was later handed back permanently, seemingly benefiting certain officials.
The Coalition has also pointed to discrepancies in the allocation of resources for the programme.
Despite the fact that the country requires approximately two million anti-rabies vaccines annually to achieve herd immunity, only 1.15 million doses were distributed in 2024.
Furthermore, whilst Rs. 200 million had been approved for the sterilisation programme aimed at controlling the dog population, only half of that amount, Rs. 100 million, was actually utilised.
The letter also contained troubling allegations, with the AWC claiming that in 2024, a senior official from the Health Ministry attempted to curtail important animal welfare initiatives.
“We have strong grounds for suspicion that, despite the existence of a dedicated public veterinary unit within the Ministry—staffed with experts in rabies control—their contributions have been disregarded. As a result, the unit remains inactive, whilst a handful of individuals have pursued ineffective strategies that have only served to hamper rabies eradication efforts,” the letter stated.
The AWC also pointed out inaccuracies in statements made by officials regarding the scope of the rabies problem. The Minister of Health recently informed Parliament that 184,926 people had received treatment for animal bites in 2024.
Whilst this figure is correct, the AWC pointed out that 90 per cent of these cases involved bites from domesticated animals, which is a critical detail often overlooked in discussions about rabies control.
Despite the Health Ministry’s long-standing commitment to addressing rabies, the Coalition argued that it has failed to effectively manage or prevent bites from domestic animals, which are responsible for the majority of rabies transmission in the country.
Based on these concerns, the AWC has concluded that the Health Ministry’s efforts to eradicate rabies have been largely ineffective and called for the programme to be transferred to the Department of Animal Production and Health, which they believe is better suited to handle the issue.
