Sri Lanka, Sept. 28 -- As Sri Lanka marks World Rabies Day today, the country's approach to controlling the deadly disease has come under sharp criticism, with the Veterinary Surgeon and Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) alleging that authorities have placed greater emphasis on treating people after dog bites than preventing rabies at its source.

A veterinary surgeon associated with the AWC alleged that billions of rupees were being spent on post-exposure treatment of people while insufficient attention was being given to mass vaccination of dogs, which remain the principal source of human rabies transmission.

Describing the situation as a "racket," he alleged that low-quality vaccines were being used for dogs while costly vaccines were b...