Vaccinating 80% of dog population crucial to eradicate rabies by 2026: Veterinarians

4 December 2023 09:57 pm Views - 813

Colombo, Dec.4 (Daily Mirror) - Administering rabies vaccines to 80% of the dog population is essential to attain the National Strategic Plan's objective of eliminating Dog-mediated Human Rabies by 2026, the advisor to the board of the Association of Veterinarians for Humane Management of Animal Population Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara said.

Speaking to the media, he highlighted a concern regarding whether the rabies vaccine is being distributed to achieve maximum coverage across the dog population, utilizing the available resources to their fullest extent, under the supervision of each District Health Secretary.

Despite efforts, the Health Ministry has fallen short of achieving the rabies eradication target using vaccinators and available resources. With a nationwide dog population of nearly 2.5 million, the government needs to ensure the provision of rabies vaccines for at least 1.8 million dogs to meet the established target by 2026.

Despite the Health Ministry's utilization of their maximum number of vaccinators and available resources, they have been unable to achieve the established target.

"Hence, the Health Ministry has the option to seek support from the doctors affiliated with the Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH) to enhance the distribution of vaccines for dogs. Surprisingly, the Health Ministry has not yet made any formal request to the DAPH for assistance," Dr. Nanayakkara said.

"It is imperative to prevent the dog population from exceeding 80%, as surpassing this threshold would jeopardize the success of the rabies eradication process. Consequently, maintaining ongoing dog sterilization operations is crucial. However, the current state of these operations is unsatisfactory, rendering them ineffective and potentially futile," he said.

"The dog sterilization operations ought to be carried out at district level. Currently, many of these operations are orchestrated by animal welfare associations across the country, covering expansive areas that may be beyond the reach of the Health Ministry. 

"Unfortunately, to date, the government has not initiated any discussions with these associations, which represents a missed opportunity for collaboration," the doctor said.

He said that the successful realization of the National Strategic Plan for rabies eradication can only be achieved through effective management of the current situation.