Sri Lanka to focus on dengue eradication during National Health Week

Sri Lanka will make concerted efforts to eradicate dengue fever during the National Health Week declared from 3 - 9 October.

Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the officials to carry out dengue eradication work on all five days excluding the first and the final day of the National Health Week, the state-run TV reported.

Health and the National Defence Ministries will be launching joint mosquito eradication programmes during the week.

The Health Ministry says the dengue epidemic is under control in most districts except the districts in Western Province.

According to the latest statistics released by the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, so far this year in the Western Province, there were 7,041 reported cases of dengue in the Colombo District, 2,749 cases in the Gampaha District and 948 cases in the Kalutara District.

The highest number of deaths from the mosquito-borne disease was recorded in Colombo District with 59 deaths while 20 people have died in the Gampaha District.

Kandy, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Galle, Batticaloa and Kurunegala Districts each also recorded over 600 cases of dengue.

In the whole of the island 17,933 reported cases and 126 deaths due to the disease have been reported.

The Health Ministry urges the public to extend their maximum cooperation in eradicating the disease from the country before the end of this year.

(Colombo Page)