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| Sunday, 30 May 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Dengue epidemic looms by Shanika Sriyananda Looming signs of an epidemic, the deadly dengue disease has killed 19 people including five children under the age of 15 during the past five months. According to health authorities, there is a 40 per cent increase in the number of suspected cases reported during the past five months compared to the corresponding period last year. According to Epidemiology Unit (EU) data, there is an increasing trend in suspected dengue cases during the past five years and the highest number of cases were reported in 2001 (8,900 suspected cases). Over 55 per cent of the people infected with dengue are over 15 years and the rest are children. Dr. Hasitha Tissera, EU Medical Officer told the Sunday Observer that over 3,137 suspected cases have been reported from January 1 to last week and Gampaha district tops the list, Colombo is placed second. "Of the total deaths, we only have details on 11 people and we are yet to receive full details of others. The number of children killed by dengue virus may be higher than reported," he said. Deaths due to dengue have been reported from Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Badulla, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Puttalam and Anuradhapura."Public should pay serious concern about mosquito breeding places, especially during the inter-monsoonal season with scattered showers. One mosquito breeding place in a compound is more than enough to make the entire neighbourhood infected with a dengue virus", he said. He also requested the residents, as well as government and the private sector institutions to clean their environs at least once a week to eliminate the mosquito breeding places. |
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