• Over 275,000 children affected 

• Mothers in centres told to breastfeed babies, provide cooked food, boiled and cooled/bottled water, bury faeces 

• SLMA issues an emergency hotline - 0777119900 – for the public to seek med. advice

• Chilaw DGH OPD open from today

Ensure the safety of children and do not endanger them by going about to see what is taking place during this crisis situation, the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians (SLCP) President, Prof. Pujitha Wickramasinghe advised parents. 

Prof. Wickramasinghe, briefing the media at the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) yesterday (02), urged parents at internally displaced camps (welfare camps) to ensure that their children are within sight at all times. It would be alright for them to mingle with other children at the camp so that their minds would not be disturbed by their predicament, he observed.  “Also, make sure that you don’t take them around, especially while in camps, to view areas affected by other disasters such as floods or landslides,” he warned, noting that such locations may still be prone to further landslides, structural collapses or sudden rises in floodwaters, in turn putting lives at risk.

He also noted that mothers should continue to breastfeed their babies and not resort to providing them milk supplements. In addition, children should be fed cooked food, and boiled and cooled or bottled water. He said that it was also advisable for parents to make sure that even the faeces of babies are buried in order to avoid any possibilities of germs and infection outbreaks. “There is nothing which says that adults will have large germs and that babies and infants would have smaller ones and thereby brush off possibilities of infections”. 

Issuing instructions to parents who have children who are taking medicines for long term illnesses such as respiratory infections, epilepsy, etc., Prof. Wickramasinghe noted that they should either go to the nearest hospital or the area Medical Officer of Health (MoH) to obtain the required medication instead of waiting until the child showed signs and symptoms of having an attack of the illness. “The present wet conditions could make the situation worse. So, the best is to obtain the required medicines as early as possible”. 

The health authorities also cautioned the public living in welfare camps against skin infections, hepatitis, leptospirosis and mosquito borne diseases. She noted that those who are currently affected by the flooding and are constantly being exposed to water should obtain 200 milligrams (mg) of the prophylaxis Doxycycline to prevent the possibilities of contracting leptospirosis or rat fever. 

Meanwhile, the SLMA President, Dr. Surantha Perera said that an emergency hotline - 0777119900 - had been opened for the public to seek medical advice. Those needing medical assistance could obtain the expertise of 76 medical specialists.

Meanwhile, over 275,000 children are estimated to have been affected due to the widespread floods and devastating landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah in recent days, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Ditwah, which made landfall on 28 November of this year (2025), left children across Sri Lanka facing an escalating humanitarian crisis. UNICEF noted that initial estimates suggest that over 275,000 children are among the 1.4 million people affected, although disrupted communications and blocked access routes imply that the actual number may be even higher. “UNICEF remains concerned about the destruction that the cyclone has caused to children and the vital services that they depend on for their safety and well-being,” said the UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Emma Brigham. “Children urgently need help. It is a race against time to reach the most vulnerable families who direly require lifesaving services,” she added. “And while the cyclone may have passed, the consequences have not.” The severe damage to homes and vital infrastructure, along with the disruption of essential services, has caused widespread displacement and increases the risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, unsafe living conditions, and severe emotional distress among children. Meanwhile, UNICEF Sri Lanka said that it is coordinating closely with the Government, national authorities, and partners to assess the situation and has initiated life-saving support. To respond to the urgent needs of children and families in the hardest-hit Districts, UNICEF is reportedly scaling up its efforts and appealing for additional funding to provide clean drinking water, essential nutrition supplies, psychosocial support and emergency education kits to displaced children and mothers who need them the most.

Elsewhere, the Health Ministry has taken steps to reopen the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the Chilaw District General Hospital (DGH) from today (03). Services at the Hospital had been temporarily halted due to the disaster situation that occurred recently. By Monday (01), the electricity supply to the Hospital had been restored and the water supply was also restored yesterday (02), according to the Deputy Director of the Hospital. Furthermore, the Ministry stated that all other sections of the Hospital that were damaged are being rapidly restored step by step so that public services can return to normal as soon as possible.