SHORTAGE OF RABIES VACCINES; PHIA BLAMES VETERINARY SURGEONS

MVeterinary Surgeons at present do not issue a card with the vaccine history of the animals as we did earlier. Veterinary Surgeons have taken over the project that we conducted aimed at eradicating rabies from the country

ost of the hospitals in the country are experiencing a shortage of the Rabies vaccine because Veterinary Surgeons have been unable to keep to adhere to the vaccine circle from last year, the Public Health Inspectors’ Association (PHIA) charged. Speaking to the media PHI Association Secretary Mahendra Balasooriya yesterday explained that the situation was made worse as a result of inability of people bitten by dogs to provide the vaccine history of their animals when they are brought to a hospital for treatment. “Veterinary Surgeons at present do not issue a card with the vaccine history of the animals as we did earlier. Veterinary Surgeons have taken over the project that we conducted aimed at eradicating rabies from the country. Therefore 99 per cent of the population had been vaccinated to protect human lives,” he said. The Department of Animal Production and Health should be held responsible for running out of Rabies vaccines in hospitals. However, the State Veterinary Surgeons’ Association (SVSA) claimed that a Cabinet Paper had been approved by the Government to take back the rabies elimination programme and place it under the purview of the Health Ministry. The SVSA had taken the Rabies vaccine programme under their purview in 2016 while adding new clauses to a Cabinet Paper.the SVSA claimed that the number of rabies infected dogs had increased. According to the report issued by the Medical Research Institute (MRI) more dog heads had not been received by the hospitals. they said 57.26 per cent (307 dog heads) had been positive in rabies tests in 2018 of the total 606 heads. “We are thinking of taking back the programme again.let them continue it as they want.the responsibility for the programme should be taken by them,” mr Balasooriya said.