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Dengue reaching epidemic level 

28 Jan 2022

 
  • 6,923 patients in Jan. alone
  • Over half of national burden in WP
  • 30% of cases schoolchildren
BY Pamodi Waravita  Following 6,923 dengue patients being reported so far for the month of January, health professionals yesterday (27) raised concerns about the possibility of the dengue virus becoming epidemic in Sri Lanka this year, thus adding a burden to the healthcare system already encumbered by the Covid-19 pandemic.  “The reported dengue cases are considerably increasing and depending on the past data, if this continues, there is a possibility that this will become an epidemic soon. This happened in 2017 when hospitals were filled with dengue patients. We need to avoid that. This will be a double burden on the healthcare system, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and the possibility of a rapid spread of dengue too,” said Health Ministry’s Public Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Mahendra Arnold at a press conference held yesterday.  This week’s report by the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) shows that during the third week of January, 1,655 suspected dengue cases were reported. According to NDCU Community Health Specialist Dr. Shiranthi Seneviratne, 6,923 patients were reported in January 2022 whilst 359,024 were reported for the entirety of 2021. During December 2021, 8,966 cases were reported.  “About 53.4% of the cases are reported from the Western Province (WP). Kandy, Galle, Mannar, Matara, Colombo, Badulla, Ratnapura, Ampara, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, and Puttalam are the districts which are reporting more cases. About 30% of the reported cases are of school-going children,” she explained further.  NDCU Acting Director Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that a circular released by the Presidential Secretariat on 12 January, has recognised a multi-sectoral approach for the prevention and control of dengue. The circular has mandated all ministries, departments, statutory bodies, private institutions, schools, and religious places including public places to conduct dengue prevention and control activities. It has also formed a committee, comprised of the secretaries to the Urban Development and Housing Ministry, the Highways Ministry, the Public Services, Provincial Councils, and Local Government Ministry, the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry, and the Health Ministry, which is authorised with incorporating rules and guidelines relevant to construction premises in construction agreements with the objective of dengue control, and to formulate legal provisions to prevent the spread of dengue mosquitoes in bare lands, unoccupied properties, and unused and abandoned or unowned boats in fishery harbours.

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