•  District Secretaries from 14 high-risk Districts to meet 
•  Schools the main offender

The failure of Local Government (LG) authorities to properly manage waste in the Western Province (WP) and many other parts of the country has significantly contributed to the spread of dengue, according to the Medical and Civil Rights Association of Doctors (MCPA) organisation.

The President of the MCPA, Dr Chamal Sanjeewa told the media on Monday (15) that uncollected garbage and stagnant water accumulating in many areas had created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying dengue and other mosquito borne diseases.

He noted that many Local Authorities had failed to remove waste efficiently, resulting in piles of garbage being left in front of homes and unofficial garbage dumps on busy public road sides. "As a result, water that has stagnated in and around these areas, or retained the moisture, thus facilitating mosquito breeding and increasing the risk of dengue transmission," he said.

Dr Sanjeewa also stressed that members of the public should take responsibility for keeping their homes and surrounding premises clean in order to minimise mosquito breeding sites.

He warned that pregnant women, young children, elderly persons and individuals suffering from non-communicable diseases such as diabetes faced a higher risk of developing serious complications if infected with dengue.

He further urged heads of Government and semi-Government institutions, as well as schools and universities, to implement programmes to ensure that their premises are maintained in a clean condition. “There should also be no delay in seeking medical attention from a qualified healthcare professional if a person contracted a fever which lasts more than two days”.

Dr Sanjeewa said that the health authorities should consider introducing advanced technologies and methods used internationally to control dengue, expressing concern that Sri Lanka had been unable to effectively bring the disease under control despite battling it for nearly three decades.

By 14 June, the number of dengue cases in the country had risen to 40,423 with 23 dengue deaths being recorded while a majority of the cases were recorded from Colombo, Gampaha, Matara, Galle, Ratnapura and Kandy. A spokesperson for the National Dengue Control Unit said that 50 per cent of the dengue cases are from the WP.

However, attempts made by The Daily Morning to contact the Deputy Minister and the Secretary to the Public Administration, Provincial Councils and LG Ministry for comment proved futile. 

A special meeting to review urgent measures to control the rapidly spreading dengue outbreak across the country was held on Monday at the Health Ministry premises under the chairpersonship of Health Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa. The discussion focused on the current response measures, the preparedness of the hospital system (as the capacity of hospitals exceeds, patients will be transferred to secondary level hospitals - regional hospitals), the progress of mosquito control field operations and challenges faced in containing the spread of the disease. The meeting also reviewed plans for the National Dengue Prevention Week, which is being implemented from Monday to 20 June, and discussed strategies for strengthening field-level operations. Officials were instructed to develop a revised national approach based on successful international models to support long-term dengue control and eradication efforts.

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya stated that a long-term programme should be formulated to minimise the spread of the dengue epidemic and emphasised that, just as the country had successfully overcome previous challenges, the dengue challenge must also be addressed and overcome through collective efforts. The Premier made these remarks yesterday (16) while addressing a special dengue prevention programme organised in Kottawa in conjunction with Dengue Prevention Week. The programme aimed to control the spread of dengue and raise public awareness of health and safety measures. Speaking at the event, she further stated: “At present, the risk of dengue is increasing across the country. The Colombo District remains at high risk, and the health authorities have identified Maharagama as one of the particularly vulnerable areas. The risk has been identified especially in schools, Government and private sector offices, and other public spaces. As a Government, we have declared a Dengue Prevention Week and are undertaking special interventions during this period with the objective of addressing the dengue risk faced by the public. However, this effort should not be limited to a single week. A long-term programme should be formulated to address this issue. At this critical juncture, all stakeholders must come together and act with determination. We must collectively come forward to overcome this challenge as well. Dengue prevention should be regarded as a personal responsibility by every citizen. We must work towards transforming the Colombo District from a high-risk area into a lower-risk zone and progressively move towards eliminating the threat altogether.”

The Education Ministry will conduct a special dengue control programme in all schools, preschools and educational institutions across Sri Lanka on 18 June as part of the National Dengue Prevention Programme. The decision was conveyed through a special circular issued to the Provincial education authorities, directing institutions to identify and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites. The authorities have also been instructed to organise community-based cleanup campaigns and awareness programmes aimed at preventing the spread of dengue. The programme will be held during the Government's special Week, which is being observed from Monday (15) to 20 June amid heightened efforts to control the spread of dengue nationwide. Dengue inspections conducted across the country have revealed a high prevalence of dengue mosquito breeding sites within school premises, Dr Jayatissa stated. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held yesterday, he said that approximately 41 per cent of the locations inspected within the school system had been identified as containing dengue mosquito breeding sites.

He further noted that breeding sites had also been detected in 28 per cent of religious places and 26 per cent of industrial premises inspected. Dr Jayatissa pointed out the dengue situation has become particularly severe in 14 Districts and stressed the importance of collective action to curb the spread of the disease. He stated that the ongoing dengue prevention programme could only be successful if all sectors of society work together in a coordinated manner. “The number of cases has increased in the Western and Southern Provinces, as well as in the Districts of Kandy and Matale in the Central Province, Badulla, Batticaloa, two Districts in the North Western Province, and both Districts in the Sabaragamuwa Province. Dengue prevention and cleaning operations are continuing, and these efforts will only succeed if we act collectively as a Nation,” he added.