Laboratory-confirmed three rabid spotted deer in Colombo suburbs in Sri Lanka: does it alarm the disease transmission to humans?

Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease which is fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered immediately after an infected bite. In Sri Lanka, around 20-30 human rabies deaths are reported each year, nearly all of which occur from being bitten by rabid dogs, which could occur due to lack of dog vaccination coverage, dog population management and community awareness (1).

Three laboratory-confirmed rabid spotted deer were found in August 2022 in Homagama and Athurugiriya areas in Sri Lanka. Prevention of deer-to-human and deer-to-dog transmission is strengthened by multi-stakeholder collaboration. Controlling and preventing of transmission of the disease among the herd of deer, locating them in the dry zone as well as controlling their breeding remain a challenge. The rabid positive cases indicated that more animals could be affected by the disease, thus, the risk to human health and economic losses remain unknown. Therefore, vigilant attention is needed.