• Spl. dengue prevention at O/L Exam locations

‘Red notice’ warnings have been issued on 1,308 houses and other properties in the Colombo City where the respective premises were maintained in a careless manner, thereby allowing for the breeding of mosquitoes.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Department, Colombo, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni said 18% of the inspected premises within the Colombo City were at risk of breeding dengue mosquitoes.

Thus far, for the year 2023, there have been 22 dengue related fatalities, and 33,742 dengue cases.

In this context, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) warned the public to be more cautious, as otherwise, the death rate and dengue cases will be higher than during last year (2022). Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (16), GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa also warned the public to be more cautious and to clean their home environments where mosquitoes breed, as otherwise, this year, dengue cases and deaths could exceed that of last year. “With the current monsoon rains, the mosquito population can easily increase. In addition, the deaths and dengue cases could be higher than last year. According to the reports of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU), 76,689 dengue patients were reported last year (2022), which is a two-fold increase from that reported in 2021. With the current rates of deaths and dengue cases, when considering the last two years (2021-2022), this year will probably be a record breaking year of dengue cases,” he claimed.

The Director, NDCU, Dr. Nalin Ariyarathne said the dengue three variant of the dengue virus spreading among the population in the country creates a high risk of accelerating the spread of the virus. He urged the public once again to keep their residences clean in order to prevent breeding opportunities for mosquitoes.

According to the NDCU, over 50% of the cases have been reported in the Western Province. The NDCU stated that seven dengue related fatalities were reported in the Western Province, which includes two deaths in Colombo, four in Gampaha, and one in Kalutara.

In this backdrop, several dengue prevention programmes were carried out in various areas of Colombo yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Colombo District Director of Health Services Dr. Chandana Gajanayake said special mosquito prevention programmes will be carried out within the premises where the upcoming General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O/L) Examination will be held.

The Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) too has decided to join the programme without claiming any additional allowance, to control the spread of dengue in the Gampaha District.

Since the beginning of the year (2023), 33,742 dengue cases have reportedly been recorded across the Island, while the Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Trincomalee Districts have recorded the highest figures.

It was also revealed during the Southern Province Dengue Review Committee meeting on Monday (15) that there is a significant increase in the number of dengue cases reported in the said Province, compared to the previous year (2022).