Dengue threat increases

The Ministry of Health has warned that there is a severe threat of dengue getting widely spread during the forthcoming months due to the prevailing rainy and wet weather conditions.

25 Health Officers Divisions in the districts of Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Matara, Kalmunai, Kegalle and Puttalam have been identified as dengue threat areas.

The number of dengue patients identified during the last three months of this year amounted to 10,049 while it was only 3,088 in the previous year during the same period.

The Health Ministry inspection teams who visited several areas during the past week has found that mosquito density in certain areas has increased by twenty fold and there are many places especially in the Colombo and Gampaha districts with a heavy concentration of dengue mosquito larvae.  This included several school premises.

Meanwhile, the Principals of schools have carried out cleaning of their school premises after opening of schools last Monday.  The Principals were instructed by the Ministry of Education on a directive given by the Ministry of Health to get their school premises cleaned and warned that they will be held responsible if any students became victimised by dengue.