Rajitha says dengue vaccine not effective enough

• Not good enough to be brought to Sri Lanka as it is only 52% effective: Rajitha
• Rs. 300 million allocated for new medical and lab equipment for dengue treatment 

By Chathuri Dissanayake

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that the Government was not ready to purchase a dengue vaccine available in Singapore as the preventive medicine did not have a desirable efficacy rate. 

“The effectiveness of the vaccine is only 52% so we cannot just give the medicine to the people telling them that the vaccine will prevent them from contracting the disease,” he said while addressing the weekly media briefing to communicate Cabinet decisions.  

With the death toll passing 300 and 109,500 dengue infections being reported during the first seven months of the year alone, the Health Ministry has been struggling to cope with the burden placed on the State healthcare system due to limitations in available resources for treatment.

Cabinet this week approved an allocation of Rs. 300 million to purchase essential medical and laboratory equipment needed for dengue treatment. 

To address limitations and effectively manage the situation, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Senaratne proposed to immediately purchase essential equipment. 

The Cabinet approved the forwarded proposal to purchase the goods available on the domestic market immediately, and to procure the rest of the items through Sri Lankan missions in different countries. 

Speaking about the current situation, Senaratne said that a reduction in the number of deaths and infections has now been observed. 

“Deaths caused by dengue and the infection rate have reduced due to the measures taken by the Government,” he said. 

Further, a circular issued by the Presidential Secretary placed the responsibility of clearing dengue breeding grounds in the premises of State-owned institutions on the heads of the relevant department, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne revealed. 

The Ministry of Education has been tasked with implementing dengue control programs at schools, while field officers have been deployed at all dengue-affected provinces to carry out household inspections, following a system similar to that used in the Western Province. 

Furthermore, Cabinet also decided to launch a media campaign through the Finance and Mass Media Ministry to raise awareness on preventing the diseased. The Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry will also undertake the training of 2,000 soldiers to provide treatment to patients. Separate dengue prevention programs will be implemented by Medical Officers of Health with the help of local government institutions, divisional secretariats and police stations.