Nearly 300,000 dog bites reported annually in Sri Lanka

The Public Health Veterinary Service reports that nearly 300,000 dog bites are recorded annually in Sri Lanka, leading to the administration of approximately 200,000 human rabies vaccines last year.

According to Dr. Yeshan Guruge, Medical Officer of the Public Health Veterinary Service, 20 people succumbed to rabies last year. 

Among these fatalities, 11 were attributed to dog bites, one to a Golden palm civet bite, while in eight cases, the animal responsible could not be properly identified.

Middle-aged individuals are the primary victims of animal bites, with men accounting for half of the cases.

Despite dog bites being the most common cause, their frequency has shown a gradual decline over the past decade. However, bites from toque macaque monkeys have increased during this period.

Dr. Guruge also highlighted that over Rs. 600 million is spent annually on human rabies vaccines in Sri Lanka.