The Ministry of Health will launch a special programme on the 14th and 15th of this month for dengue prevention in the City of Colombo.
The Ministry said that majority of dengue patients are reported from the Western Province and 50 % of them are from the Colombo District. Under the new programme the Colombo City will be divided into several segments and inspections will be carried out by different groups in each of these segments.
This special programme will be implemented in coordination with the Ministries of Education, Defence, Disaster Management, Transport and the Colombo Municipal Council. Over 1000 officials will participate in the programme.
Under the programme, the people of Colombo City will be enlightened on the danger of dengue epidemic and Shramadana programmes will be carried out to clean the City from the possible dengue mosquito breeding areas.
The Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Palitha Maheepala said that in January this year 2,854 dengue patients were identified and 18 of them died. He said that during January, Health Ministry officials inspected 465,917 houses, and in this inspection 6,182 houses and premises were found with dengue mosquito larvae. Legal action has been initiated against 180 persons. Dr.Maheepala said that as citizens of this country everyone has the responsibility to keep their premises clean. Similarly, he said that it is very important for the Heads of Public and Private institutions to focus their attention on keeping their premises clean and tidy.
Courtesy: Government Information Department
