More police join health officials to fight dengue
Dengue cases are on the rise again, this time more virulent and rampant, and the Health Ministry has sought police assistance to crack down on those who do not pay heed to destroying mosquito breeding sites, a top Health official said.
Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts face the biggest threat the Health Ministry's Epidemiology unit's Chief Epidemiologist Paba Palihawadana said. In addition Kandy, Kalmunai, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara and Puttalam are some of the high risk districts while Colombo, Dehiwala Mount-Lavinia, Kaduwela, Homagama, Kolonnawa, Wattala, Ja-ela, Kelaniya and Divulapitiya have been identified as high risk Medical Officer's of Health (MOH) areas.
According to the unit's statistics within just one week of this month (June) the number of cases reported was 496. Last year for the whole month the number was 1, 477. So far for this year 20 people have died of dengue and 18, 400 are reported to have come down with dengue fever.
Colombo reported the highest number of cases since January (5, 974), followed by Gampaha with 1,983 cases, Jaffna 1,250, Kalutara (1, 219) Kandy (950) and Kilinochchi 48.
Dr. Palihawadana said more police officers will join health officers to conduct raids adding that unoccupied lands and houses, houses with neglected big gardens, luxury apartment complexes, state housing schemes, schools, construction sites, railway dump yards, public places like bus stops and railway stations, court complexes and state institutions, have been identified as major breeding sites.
He said due to the floods fresh water sources such as wells, lakes and streams had been contaminated by garbage.
CMC's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijeyamuni said the needs of the mosquito and larvae changed according to the temperature. Following the floods and the high temperatures mosquitoes require more energy or 'blood meals' leading to more mosquito bites.
He said all hospitals, both private and state, have been instructed to protect dengue patients with mosquito nets to prevent the disease from spreading.
To curb the further spread of dengue, a Colombo city cleaning and inspection programme employing about 2000 personnel from the Dengue Task Force, will take take place from June 16 to 18. More than 50,000 premises, including state and international schools, government institutions and residences, would be inspected.
The Western Provincial Council Department of Health Services (WPCDH) yesterday said since more than 50 per cent of dengue patients reported each year were from the Western Province, a campaign on the proper disposal of garbage is being carried out. Western Province Health Services director Dr. Deepthi Perera said the aim was to get rid of garbage receptacles in which water collected. This would not only help curb dengue but also fight filaria and rat fever too.
She said, as part of the programme, 'coloured bags' will be introduced to collect recyclable garbage.
Meanwhile Environment Police Director Quintus Raymond said his officers, attached to 442 police stations, have found that schools and institutions, both state and private are the leading culprits in breeding mosquitoes.