Sri Lanka’s approach to rabies control came under sharp criticism on World Rabies Day, with the Veterinary Surgeon and Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) alleging that authorities prioritise treating people after dog bites over preventing infection at its source.
A veterinary surgeon associated with the coalition said billions of rupees were being spent on post-exposure treatment for people while mass vaccination of dogs — the principal source of human rabies transmission — received insufficient attention.
Describing the situation as a “racket”, he alleged that low-quality vaccines were being used for dogs while costly vaccines were imported and administered to people after suspected exposure.
“Every day should be Rabies Day because the virus does not take holidays,” he said.
The allegations
The coalition’s claims fall into three areas:
Programme implementation. The AWC representative alleged the Ministry of Health had failed to properly implement a five-year rabies elimination programme drawn up in 2020 with the World Health Organization and other stakeholders, and said an assessment in 2025 found it had not been adequately implemented.
Field capacity. He said Sri Lanka has only around 250 vaccinators, at least 100 of whom are not permanent employees, and that a shortage of vehicles and logistical resources restricts islandwide vaccination campaigns.
Unspent allocations. He claimed that of Rs. 200 million allocated for dog population control in 2024, only about Rs. 100 million was used, with the balance returned to the Treasury; and that of Rs. 200 million allocated in 2025, only about Rs. 32 million was spent. He argued the under-utilisation raised questions about the commitment of the existing control mechanism.
“The priority should be to vaccinate dogs in the field. Instead, the focus has been on importing vaccines at enormous cost and treating people after they are bitten,” he said.
Context
The criticism comes as the government moves to legislate on rabies control and dog population management. A Bill on rabies elimination and dog registration was presented to Parliament on 24 September, repealing colonial-era ordinances and creating national and regional advisory committees.
The allegations are those of the AWC and were reported by a single outlet. The Ministry of Health had not responded at the time of writing, and no other verified newsroom had published its own account of the coalition’s claims. The veterinary surgeon quoted was not named in the report.
