Experience with Rabies Control in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Rabies is a problem in both developed and developing countries in the Tropics and is of special concern as the most important zoonosis. The heaviest human mortality (2–3 per 100,000 population) is experienced in most countries in the tropics, even though the disease is generally under reported in some countries due to poor surveillance systems. It would be clearly understood that over 90% of all rabies cases in man are caused by dogs, and in the tropics it is even more so, as the dog is the main transmitter of rabies in this region. Even in areas of wild life rabies the majority of human exposures requiring anti-rabies treatment are due to this animal species. Therefore it is ethical to bring the disease under control in its reservoirs and in particular to eliminate rabies in dog populations. The problem of rabies has reached magnitudes which justify vigorous efforts to control or eliminate the disease in this region.