Anti dengue program - monetary rewards for students

by Carol Aloysius

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will fight the dengue menace next month with a novel program where schoolchildren will be given monetary rewards for handing over to health officials discarded containers that could breed dengue mosquitoes. These include empty yoghurt cups and rigifoam boxes used to pack cooked food.

Chief Medical Officer of Health CMC Dr Ruwan Wijemuni told the Sunday Observer that 200 Advanced Level students (four from each Community Development Council under the CMC’s Public Health Department) will participate in the program, the first of its kind in the country.

“Each child will receive Rs 200 per day and paid one rupee per container. This means 200 of them will receive Rs 40,000 per day. If they work for five days of the week they can collect one million containers that spread dengue,” he said. “The aim is to effect a healthy approach to the dengue menace”, he said.

Health officials told the media on Friday at the Health Education Bureau that the combined efforts of the Health Ministry, the Tri Forces and Civil Defence Force and other volunteers had helped check the number of dengue cases and deaths.

Director General, Health Services, Dr P.G. Maheepala said a National Mosquito Control Week will be launched from September 1-16, targeting all high risk places, islandwide to prevent the outbreak of dengue which usually peaks from October to December.

A massive awareness program for the public and schoolchildren was also under way ahead of the program, he said.