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Dengue on the decline for now, continued vigilance imperative
View(s):Though the number of Dengue patients in hospitals is gradually receding, officials warned that due to intermittent rains there could be another outbreak. The number of Dengue cases in the second week of August had dropped to 3,862, as against 9,441 in the last week of July, according to the Epidemiology Unit. The number of deaths reported for this year remained at 350.
National Dengue Control Unit’s Consultant Community Physician Dr Preshila Samaraweera told the Sunday Times that the reason for the decrease was due to the vast clean up programmes held in every village. “The attitudes of the people changed. They started paying more attention in keeping their gardens clean. We hope the concerns people showed towards curbing the disease continues,” she said.
She added that the dry season during the past weeks would also have contributed to the reduction. However, when the North-East Monsoon sets in and with the current intermittent showers in some parts of the island, may lead to a rise of dengue in the future.
“To continue and keep the numbers reduced, people have to reduce the number of breeding places in and around their homes. Continue clean up programmes and engage in proper waste management,” she said.
Districts in the outskirts of Colombo have also experienced a decline in the number of Dengue patients reported.