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| Sunday, 18 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Colombo West and East- a paradise for dengue vector by Carol Aloysius It is not just stray dogs, cats and crows that thrive on the garbage littering the roads of Colombo West and East, but also the dengue-carrying mosquito. Of the 54 cases of dengue detected in the city this year 44 (i.e more than one third) have been from what has been labelled as the "dirtiest parts of the city". "We have found that Wellawatte South and North and Pamankada have the highest number of homes with mosquito breeding sites. The largest number of dengue cases have also been reported from these areas. We are now taking action to clean up these districts and eliminate the breeding sites for mosquitoes not only in Colombo East and West but elsewhere in the city as well", Colombo Municipal Council's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam told the Sunday Observer. Dr. Kariayawasam said that due to the likelihood of an outbreak of dengue in the near future urgent measures were being taken to minimise the number of mosquito breeding sites within the city. " Last Sunday my inspectors visited a total of 8,241 houses in Colombo to inspect their premises to ensure they were free of mosquito breeding sites. A total of 1,156 houses were found to have breeding sites, some of them temporary e.g. yoghurt cups, tyres, coconut shells, tins, while others had blocked drains and gutters. We have issued 512 owners with notices to have their premises cleaned-up and their drains mended within a week. If they fail to do so they will be fined. We can even give them a jail sentence under the present law", the CMC spokesman added. The good news however is that at least a few civic minded citizens are now pulling their weight and making a serious effort to ward off the life threatening dengue carrying mosquitoes that have invaded our city. The CMC has acknowledged their efforts by conferring on them the "Green Star Home" sticker given to all such eco-friendly homes under a Twin Start Home program launched with the Rotary clubs. After last Sunday's home visits by the CMC's flying squads, a total of 1,386 homes i.e. one in six houses received a sticker. "Our cleanest and most eco friendly homes have been found to be in Kollupitiya, Milagiriya and Bambalapitiya", the CMC spokesman said. Awareness programs, fogging, legal action and cleaning up campaigns have been given priority these days in the wake of an imminent dengue outbreak. Meanwhile health sources said that they were already on the alert for a dengue epidemic, following the onset of the heavy rains in the past few days. " We usually have dengue epidemics during the months of May, June through July and we can expect another epidemic soon. We urge the public to support us by eliminating every single mosquito breeding site on their premises. It is the only way we can prevent this epidemic", a health spokesman said. Sources have urged the public to refrain from throwing sili sili bags and other litter on the roads and in canals that block the drains and free flow of water. The Sunday Observer understands that around 8,000 cases of dengue were reported last year with around 60 deaths. For the first four months of this year around 800 cases have been reported with 20 deaths. While dengue is usually considered urban-based, a recent phenomenon has been the outbreak of the disease in Puttalam. This has been attributed to the uncleared garbage which is now being eliminated with the help of the UC, health sources said. |
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