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Due to Covid pandemic: Dengue and malaria patients not seeking treatment

09 Jan 2022

  • Health system can cope with dengue and Covid: Dr. Senevirathne
By Aazam Ameen Medical experts last week expressed concern that an increasing number of persons displaying symptoms of dengue and malaria were refraining from seeking treatment due to fear of being treated for Covid-19. This is in the backdrop of the Health Ministry recently increasing screening for dengue in all districts due to a spike in reported cases. Close to 19,200 dengue cases were reported amidst the Covid pandemic last year.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, the Health Ministry’s National Dengue Control Unit Consultant and Community Physician Dr. Shiranthi Seneviratne said that as Sri Lanka remained in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, people were afraid to seek medical treatment.  “Dengue and Covid can coexist. The first thing that comes to mind when someone develops a fever is that they may have Covid. This results in such people refraining from obtaining medical advice from doctors,” she said.  Dr. Seneviratne noted that this trend was worrisome as some persons may have serious dengue infections, but as the signs and symptoms were similar to that of a Covid-19 infection, it would not alert them that they may have contracted the dengue virus.  When queried as to whether the healthcare system of the country would be able to cope if a dengue outbreak were to happen alongside the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, she stated that for the moment everything was under control.  Earlier, the Ministry of Health had stated that the screening process with regard to the dengue epidemic had been intensified covering all districts, as there was a significant increase in the spread of dengue at present.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, the Ministry of Health’s Public Health Services Deputy Director General (DDGHS) and Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath said: “A separate dengue control unit has been set up under the Ministry of Health. They are currently visiting almost all districts and carrying out screening activities.”  According to the Epidemiology Unit, a total of 19,217 dengue patients have been reported last year. In terms of the malaria situation, The Sunday Morning learns that even though the parasite causing the virus was eliminated from Sri Lanka in 2012, the risk of it spreading once more owing to foreign travellers persists.  According to Sri Lanka Anti Malaria Campaign Acting Director Dr. Prasad Ranaweera, only Sri Lanka, the Maldives and China have been certified as malaria free, while several African countries, India, and Pakistan are not.  “If an infected person from such countries arrives in Sri Lanka or if a Sri Lankan travels to countries where malaria exists, there is a high risk of it spreading in Sri Lanka once again,” he said. In terms of malaria mitigation methods, Dr. Ranaweera explained that several awareness campaigns had been conducted across the island to this effect. Last year, 26 cases of malaria were reported in the country, with 25 of them originating from African countries. For 2022, two cases have been reported so far.


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