Special island-wide dengue eradication program from today

Sri Lanka health authorities, with the cooperation of the police and tri-forces, will commence a special island-wide dengue eradication program from Monday as the mosquito-borne disease has reached an epidemic level.

Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne has advised the Director General of Health Services to take necessary steps with regard to the Dengue Epidemic Situation Report.

Accordingly, public health officers along with the tri-forces, police and civil security officers will be deployed to inspect dengue breeding sites. Houses, government buildings and bare lands across the island will be inspected for dengue breeding sites. Special attention will be directed at dengue breeding grounds at homes, schools and state institutions.

Strict legal action will also be taken against owners of such dengue breeding grounds.

The inspections will take place especially in Kolonnawa, Kaduwela, Gampaha, Dehiwala and Mount Lavinia as the highest number of dengue cases are reported in the Western Province, mostly in the Colombo District.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health says the areas that were affected by floods are at risk of an increase in mosquito population and an increase has been observed with the onset of the monsoon rains.

According to the Epidemiology Unit, during the last six months of this year, 19,731 suspected dengue cases have been reported from all over the island and nearly 48% of the dengue cases were reported from the Western Province.

This situation warrants regular removal of possible mosquito breeding sites from the environment, the unit said. (Colombopage)