Chikungunya outbreak and questions on Clean SL project

There is an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease, in several parts of the country with Colombo and the suburbs the hardest hit. The number of those infected has surged in the past few weeks with some patients hospitalised due to the diseases which cause fever and severe joint pain. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected female mosquitoes, the same that causes dengue fever. The mosquito bites primarily during daylight hours, and there may be peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon.

Intermittent weather patterns, which alternate between rains and dry spells, lead to a surge in mosquito-borne diseases and the prevailing weather conditions are perfect for mosquitoes to breed. Hence the most important thing is to keep surroundings clean and free of mosquito-breeding sites.

With local authority elections weeks away, what we see is a severe neglect of the duties of both officials of these bodies as well as Public Health Inspectors (PHI) who seem to have forgotten their duty of visiting neighbourhoods and other places to check on mosquito-breeding sites and taking other preventive measures.

The mantra of those in the NPP who are contesting the 6 May election is that they will act once they come to power using the deficiencies in the local government system as means to lure voters. This includes garbage collection which is a big issue in the big cites.

We are yet to hear from Minister of Health Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa on any meaningful measures that have been taken to curb the spread of chikungunya. He’s more engaged in election campaigning than addressing this very important issue that comes under the purview of his ministry.

Public health is one of the most important subjects and one which needs constant attention. The country managed to face the coronavirus pandemic with a high rate of success and also dealt successfully with regular outbreaks of dengue fever. This has been achieved amidst severe constraints that the public health sector faces.

Being a tropical country, Sri Lanka is in a constant battle to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases. The country has successfully managed to do so with malaria and filaria but dengue and now chikungunya are a continuing threat to the public. Many different approaches have been taken to combat these diseases but a lot more needs to be done.

The Government kicked off the ambitious Clean Sri Lanka project with ministers and governors cleaning railways stations and public spaces for the benefit of the cameras but since then the whole project seems to have been forgotten.

If the Government is serious about its Clean Sri Lanka project, then it should start with cleaning up neighbourhoods which are worst affected by mosquito-borne diseases. While the role of the public is important for such programs, the initiative should come from the Government. But while those in Government can hear talking politics, we are yet to hear from any of the seniors in the Government this important on public health issues including from the Minister of Health.

Diseases such as chikungunya and dengue don’t just affect individuals and families but society as a whole as those who suffer from these conditions are unable to return to normal life, sometimes for weeks with their productivity dropping, which in turn affects their families as well. Hence it is important that immediate steps such as inspections, fogging, etc. are taken to control the spread of chikungunya and related illnesses by prioritising public health issues over politics.