Over 25,000 Dengue cases from January

The risk of Dengue has increased with the health authorities reporting over 25,000 cases within the first four months of the year.

According to the Director of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) Dr. Kapila Kannangara, 25,444 confirmed and suspected Dengue cases had been reported in the country by Friday (1).

The Western Province tops the list with 50 percent of the reported cases. The other provinces with a higher number of cases reported include Southern Province (17 percent), Sabaragamuwa (nine percent), and the Eastern Province (six percent). District-wise statistics show that over 21 percent of the cases had been reported from the Colombo District and the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area alone had recorded six percent of the total number of cases.

The other districts where a higher number of cases were reported include Gampaha (16 percent), Matara (7.1percent), Galle (6.8 percent), and Ratnapura (6.3 percent). According to Dr. Kannangara, 12 Dengue-related deaths had been reported so far this year from five districts including Colombo, Galle, Ratnapura, and Hambantota.

The NDCU statistics show that 5,664 Dengue cases had been reported in April, a slight reduction compared to 6,013 cases reported in March.

The NDCU with the support of the health authorities is monitoring all MOH areas across the country to mitigate the risk and are conducting special Dengue prevention programs in high risk and vulnerable areas, he said.

The special initiatives include environment and premises cleaning programs to destroy breeding sites and conducting awareness programs to educate the public. Other stakeholders such the environment police, education authorities, Local Government institutions, Security Forces, and community-based organisations are also included in Dengue prevention programs, Dr. Kannangara added.

Source - Sunday Observer