Rabies vaccine shortage would increase human fatalities

Colombo, May 8 (Daily Mirror) - The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has raised serious concerns over an alleged shortage of rabies vaccines at Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices across the country, warning that the disruption could lead to a dangerous rise in rabies infections among animals and an increase in human fatalities.

GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe told the Daily Mirror that the nationwide rabies eradication programme has come to a standstill due to the shortage of vaccines.

He said the crisis threatens Sri Lanka’s national goal of achieving “zero human rabies deaths by 2030” under the One Health approach jointly implemented by the Health Ministry and the Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH).

“Rabies vaccines are available at private vaccination centres, but there is a severe shortage at MOH offices,” Dr. Wijesinghe claimed. “Although rabies is entirely preventable, the current situation has turned it into a serious public health issue.”

He said that the vaccination of stray dogs and other animals is critical to controlling the spread of the deadly virus. However, due to the shortage, the stray dog vaccination programme has reportedly been halted for nearly one and a half months.

“Rabies is 100 percent fatal once symptoms appear. There is no cure, but it can be prevented through proper vaccination,” he said.

According to GMOA estimates, at least 50 human rabies infections are reported annually across the country, and health professionals now fear that the number of human fatalities could rise if the vaccine shortage continues.

Meanwhile, several veterinary associations and certain Health Ministry officials have also expressed alarm over the vaccine shortage at MOH offices, warning that the interruption of vaccination campaigns could accelerate the spread of the virus and increase the risk of human fatalities.

They alleged that the shortage was caused by the inaction and poor planning of government health authorities.

Health sector representatives pointed out that Sri Lanka had managed to reduce human rabies fatalities to 15 last year due to sustained vaccination programmes. However, they warned that the current disruption could reverse years of progress and lead to a sharp increase in deaths this year.

Official data from the national animal rabies control programme over the past seven years shows a mixed picture of progress and emerging challenges.

Human vaccinations have increased significantly, rising from 894,130 in 2019 to 1,343,077 in 2025, reflecting stronger preventive coverage. Human deaths have generally declined from 26 in 2019 to 13 in 2025, despite fluctuations in intervening years.

However, animal sterilisation programmes considered vital in controlling the disease at its source—have dropped sharply from 56,844 in 2019 to just 8,421 in 2025.

In contrast, distribution of human anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) has surged in 2025, reaching 2,225,449 doses, compared to previous annual ranges of around 160,000 to 275,000 doses.

Public health observers say the figures reflect a mixed outcome: while human protection and vaccination coverage have improved and deaths have declined, the sharp reduction in sterilisation efforts could pose long-term risks in controlling rabies transmission at the source.