Sri Lanka, Feb. 18 -- Health authorities have raised concern over the continued threat of rabies, reporting 14 deaths so far and urging the public to seek immediate medical attention following any animal bite.

Community Physician Specialist of the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Athula Liyanapathirana, stressed that rabies is a 100 per cent fatal but entirely preventable disease. He emphasised that Sri Lanka must eliminate rabies before 2030 in order to achieve zero deaths.

According to Dr. Liyanapathirana, most of the recent fatalities have been reported from the Puttalam, Kurunegala and Rathnapura districts. He noted that approximately 250,000 animal bite incidents are reported annually in Sri Lanka, with the majority...