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| Sunday, 2 May 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Dengue on a field day! by Carol Aloysius Over 180 cases of Dengue have been detected within the Colombo metropolis, giving rise to a fear that the disease could assume epidemic proportions if uncontrolled. "The numbers detected so far reveal an increase of over ninety percent over the previous year", Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam, Chief Medical Officer of the Colombo Municipal Council told the Sunday Observer. Dr. Kariyawasam said that there were usually two peaks of the disease during a year, from June to July and December to January, which followed heavy rains. He said that last year, it was possible to avert a crisis because the CMC had carried out a dengue awareness campaign and conducted house to house visits to detect dengue breeding sites, in March, before the onset of the peak season. "We also imposed fines and warned all householders who had dengue breeding sites that we would take stern action if they did not clean their surroundings at our next visit. This proved a deterrent and we were able to bring the disease under control", he said. Emphasising the importance of a sustained campaign to create awareness on the prevention of dengue, the CMC spokesman said that experience had proved that the public on the whole had a short memory and tended to forget that environmental cleanliness was the most effective way of eliminating the dengue carrying vector. "We therefore have to remind them constantly, and carrying out surveys and awareness campaigns is the best way to do this", he said. He added that in addition to poorly maintained gardens, many residents were guilty of breeding mosquitoes within their homes in flower vases and flower pots and ant traps. Currently the CMC is carrying out fogging and spraying of chemicals in high risk areas, but because the dengue carrying mosquito is a low flying insect, these activities have not proved hundred percent effective, the CMC spokesman said. In order to create awareness on dengue, the CMC hopes to conduct a big campaign involving CMC staff, medical students of the Colombo medical faculty and Rotarians who will inspect houses in the city, distribute leaflets and enlist the support of the public to maintain a mosquito free environment both outside and within their homes. A survey carried out last year revealed that the dengue carrying vector was not only found in the slums and other poor districts of the city but in plush residential areas such as Colombo 3,4 and 7 as well. Broken and clogged drains, uncleared dirt, coconut shells and tyres left lying around in gardens are some of the common causes for the spread of dengue. |
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