Schools a major source of dengue, says HPB

Although the number of dengue patients have dropped by 70 percent this year as compared to last year, as much as one third of the country's dengue patients are schoolchildren, with 15 percent of Sri Lanka's schools becoming mosquito breeding places, according to the Health Ministry's Health Promotion Bureau (HPB).

The bureau says 42,663 dengue patients have been reported as of November for this year and in comparison to last year, this was a 70 percent reduction. But the bureau laments that schools have become high-risk areas for dengue.

The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has said it has called on school administrators to ensure before the third term holiday begins that their school premises are free from dengue mosquito breeding grounds.

It urged school authorities to take the responsibility of promoting cleanliness in school premises during next week's GCE Ordinary Level examinations. (SI)