Dengue clean up programme ahead of Kandy Perahera

A special extensive Dengue control programme has been launched in Kandy ahead of the Esala Perahera with the first Perahera due to get underway today.

A surveillance programme was carried out from Wednesday to Friday in Kandy as part of the campaign.

The National Dengue Control Unit, of the Ministry of Health inspected government institutes religious places, schools, and public places in Kandy.

The unit said, of the 31 premises 15 were positive and 46 positive breeding places were found positive for primary vector Aedes aegypti, which is the major mosquito for dengue transmission.

‘Most of the positive breeding places were removable with minimal efforts. Furthermore, from the conducted adult mosquito surveys, both females and male mosquitoes of the primary vector were found in the sacred temple of the Tooth relic’, a report from the NDCU said.

The unit has called the Regional Director of Health Services in Kandy to take all necessary corrective measures ahead of the Esala Perahera.

The first Kumbal Perahera  will be parading the streets shortly after dusk while the first Randoli Perahera will begin on 26th, and parade the streets for five days until August 30. The ceremony draws to end on August 31 with the Day Perahera.

A large number of visitors are expected this year after several interruptions in the past years. In 2019 the visitors dropped due to the Easter Sunday attacks which took place in April that year. In the following two years the COVID-19 situation had an impact on the event.  Last year due to the economic crisis the attendance was low.

Most hotels in Kandy were already booked for the event.