Health officials are calling for a change of strategy in fighting hydrophobia (rabies) in a bid to cut costs.
Authorities spend around Rs. 600 million annually to protect people from the killer disease, North Western Province Health Minister Asoka Wadigamangawa told a recent meeting.
The anti-rabies serum injection that costs Rs. 22,000 contributes to the higher expenditure, he pointed out.
The Minister was addressing officials from provincial rabies prevention centres who had gathered to discuss the ongoing sterilisation programme in Kurunegala and Puttalam districts.
The officials, while stressing the need to save human lives, said sterilisation of dogs would help fight rabies at lesser cost.
They alleged that some health ministry officials were trying to halt the ongoing sterilisation programme.
The participants also told Minister Wadigamangawa that some top officials were benefiting from the Rs. 600 million budget.
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 being reported from Africa and Asia.
They said 56, 51 and 56 Sri Lankans died of the disease in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. Last year’s toll in Kurunegala was five with two more deaths being reported this year. The toll in Puttalam was five last year and one death has been recorded for 2010 so far.
In Sri Lanka, domestic dogs are being blamed for most of the cases.
Studies in Kurunegala show that the disease claimed 38 lives during the last decade. The data revealed that hydrophobia had claimed more lives than dengue.
Officials say 25,040 and 22,141 people were vaccinated against rabies in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
The casualties are in the low-income group as more cyclists become victims.
Most of the immunised dogs are from the 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 district officials were satisfied with the ongoing anti-rabies efforts in their respective areas.
Health officer P B Sirisena and director S K Ratnayake were also present at the meeting. |
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