Clearing up operations: Schoolchildren can spread the message
It is a ‘lesson’ from schools that can be learnt by homes, government and private sector institutions and anyone else willing to take heed.
Regular inspections, general vector and breeding- spot surveillance and destruction of such spots immediately bring down the risk of the spread of dengue, a project in 60 schools in four educational zones in the Gampaha district has shown.
Schoolchildren can spread the message, has become crystal clear.
While the breeding habitat study was ongoing, Dr. Nayana Gunathilaka along with the Central Environmental Authority’s Senior Environment Officer, Lakmini Radhika who is a Ph.D candidate under Dr. Gunathilaka’s supervision, also conducted a surveillance programme in schools in the Gampaha district which is badly affected by dengue.
With an earlier Health Ministry research finding that 66.7% schools in Colombo city had at least one container positive for dengue larvae and pupae, it was more or less certain that schools are at risk.
However, as no routine entomological work is carried out, the entomological risk is still unknown, says Dr. Gunathilaka. Therefore, to fill this gap, they carried out entomological surveys in the 60 chosen schools in the Gampaha district which comprised clusters from the Gampaha, Minuwangoda, Kelaniya and Negombo educational zones, over seven months, from June to December, last year.
In its wake followed the identification of 12 mosquito-breeding site categories -- leaf axils; tree-holes; decaying material such as banana leaves; coconut shells; discarded plastic containers; clay-containers; flower-pots; discarded tyres; tyre-prints; discarded metal containers; drains; and blocked toilets. The findings are revealing: Nearly 50% of the 60 schools were conducive to dengue vector breeding. Almost all schools had an average of at least 10 types of probable breeding habitats. Ae. albopictus was identified as the predominant vector in all four educational zones. Ae. albopictus was documented from all breeding habitat categories except blocked toilets. There was prolific breeding of Ae. albopictus from clay-pots. Setting up focus groups which included representatives from schools such as the principal, several teachers, students and parents and also officials such as those from the local government authori- ty, they had been mobilized by the research team not only to search for breeding habitats but also potential ones and destroy them.
With schools having issues in managing their solid waste, the wide-ranging programme had included green practices such as vegetable plots, a compost yard and waste segregation on the 3R-basis (reduce, re-use and recycle).
Strict surveillance, according to a stringent checklist, in different settings will bring about long-term monitoring and sustainability in Sri Lanka’s quest to battle the dengue mosquito, adds Dr. Gunathilaka, citing the excellent example of the Gampaha district schools.
“Dengue Prevention Committees should be established in schools and given maximum support to maintain a dengue-free environment. Conducting awareness programmes, shramadana campaigns and regular field inspections, at least once a week, are vital,” he says, adding that this would prevent schoolchildren taking dengue to their homes and communities.