The continuing garbage problem in Colombo is contributing to the spread of dengue fever in and around the city, according to medical sources.
The Colombo Municipality’s chief medical officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam made this observation when noting that Colombo district has recorded the highest number of dengue cases, 745, so far this year, while the city itself has recorded 257 cases.
Island-wide, there were 55 dengue-related deaths in the first four months of the year, as against 27 deaths in the whole of 2008, according to Dr. Hasitha Tissera, consultant epidemiologist for the Ministry of Health.
The districts considered the most vulnerable to dengue attacks are Kandy, Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Hambantota, Matara, Kegalle and Matara.
Kegalle district reported the highest number of dengue-related deaths, 11. There were eight fatalities in Colombo, seven in Kandy, six in Hambantota, and six in Gampaha.
Schools and workplaces should ensure that their environments were not conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes, Dr. Tissera added.
Dr. S. Sinnathambi, regional epidemiologist for the North and East, told The Sunday Times that a number of dengue cases were reported from Kalavanchikudy and Batticaloa. Only a few cases of dengue have been reported from camps for internally displaced persons, but Dr. Sinnathambi stressed the need for extra care and vigilance in the camps. |
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