News

Rabies claims lives of 12 people in last six months

Published

4 years ago

2022/07/15

By Nimal Gunathilake

Twelve people had died from rabies during the last six months, the Health Ministry said yesterday.Director-Public Health Veterinary Service Dr. L.D. Kithsiri said, “95% of the infections happen due to dog bites. Puppies carry the highest risk of infection. In the last six months, we have vaccinated 500,000 dogs free of charge. We will also sterilise 30,000 street dogs to control their population,” he said.

There are between 20 and 30 million dogs in the country and only around 1.1 million dogs are vaccinated annually, he said.Dr. Kithsiri added that if they could vaccinate 70% of the canine population, the spread of rabies could be stopped.The Ministry recommends the annual rabies vaccination of all dogs above six weeks, Dr. Kithsiri said.He added that 20 to 30 deaths occurred annually due to rabies and mainly due to exposure to infected dogs.

“The main reasons for deaths in Sri Lanka are non-vaccination of dogs against rabies and not getting post-exposure treatments. If treated properly immediately after an infected animal bite, it is 100% preventable and post exposure vaccine and serum freely available at government hospitals,” he said.He added that Sri Lanka had adopted rabies control measures since 1975 and the number of human rabies deaths had declined from 377 in 1973 to 19 in 2014.

“Sri Lanka seeks to be rabies-free by the end of 2025. Towards the elimination of the disease, the country needs more effective, evidence-based strategies and efforts,” he said.Dr. Kithsiri added that there was a lack of awareness about the disease, especially among those who did not own pets.

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News

Animal Welfare Draft Bill to be Gazetted

Published

11 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.

Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.

Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.

News

Legal provisions on marking voters using indelible ink during elections removed

Published

11 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.

It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.

Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.

Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions

• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981

News

Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts

Published

12 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.

Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.