National Mosquito Control Week from October 14 to 21

The Health Ministry has declared a National Mosquito Control Week from October 14 to 21. The decision to declare the mosquito control week came amid concerns that dengue fever could raise its head in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. 

The Ministry noted that the number of COVID-19 patients reported in the country has dropped by 47% this year compared to the same period last year. 

A total of 51, 659 dengue patients were reported from the country in 2018 while the number rose to 105, 049 in 2019, with 158 of the victims succumbing to the disease. 

There have been 27, 870 dengue patients so far this year, with 33 deaths. The number of dengue patients recorded in the country has dropped by as much as 75% this year compared to 2019. 

The Ministry added that the districts of Colombo, Kandy, Gampaha, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Ratnapura, Kalutara and Galle has recorded the largest number of dengue patients this year, while 24% of dengue patients recorded in September had been from the Kandy district.