Call for a collective effort to arrest rising dengue menace :

Continuous clean up program only solution - Dr. Kariyawasam

*Eight deaths and 905 dengue cases in Colombo

*Primary level school students most vulnerable

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

After the completion of the humanitarian operation on May 19, 2009, the country witnessed yet another operation last year. That was also to eliminate the dengue epidemic which was fast spreading across the country in an unprecedented and alarming level.

Many mechanisms were put in place to eradicate the mosquito menace and even the Security Forces and the Police were deployed to clean up and inspect the houses for mosquito breeding ground as the dengue epidemic claimed 252 lives, and 34,054 becoming victims of dengue disease. The National Dengue Control Campaign, house to house campaign to clean up mosquito breeding ground and taking legal action against those who neglected mosquito breeding grounds in their houses and gardens were among the measures that were taken to control the spread of dengue disease. Adding to that the Health Ministry imported Cuban bacteria which can be used against the breeding of mosquitoes and launched pilot project to check whether it is feasible to use in Sri Lanka.

Therefore, people also actively participated in those campaigns as they saw so many people, doctors, infants and children from the affluent families becoming victims of this dengue epidemic.

In spite of all those efforts the country has to wake again, to stand firm against the dengue epidemic this year too as it has started to raise its ugly head again claiming the lives of many. Though we have won the humanitarian operation the country cannot lull itself into a state of complacency thinking that they have done enough to control the dengue disease.

It is a question whether we are alarmed enough and educated enough about the disease if we tend to think that we have done enough to control the disease and wait because fighting against dengue is an endless one.

Despite the alarm bells ringing about spreading of dengue disease in Colombo after claiming the lives of eight, including seven children, the people seem to be ignoring those alarms until death lurks on them.

The Special Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council, Omar Kamil and the Chief Medical Officer of the Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam were alarmed by the spread of dengue disease in Colombo.

According to Dr. Kariyawasam, the dengue disease has raised its ugly head again this year with 905 patients reported within the Colombo city by last Thursday and eight dengue related deaths being reported within the city.

The figures by the end of March indicate that 12 deaths have been reported in the Colombo district alone.

"The situation in Colombo is worse than the last year as we had lesser number of dengue cases by this period last year," he added.

He is more alarmed as more than 70 per cent of these dengue patients are reported among students under 20 years and of that also the primary level students are more vulnerable for the disease. He had invited all the school principals and their representatives for a meeting at the New Town Hall on Thursday.

"I am not satisfied with the attendance of the school principals as there were around 50 persons to represent nearly 150 schools in the city," Dr. Kariyawasam said.

According to him the situation regarding the spread of dengue disease in the city cannot be ignored as the disease is fast spreading during the rainy season.

He pointed out that the mosquito spreading the dengue disease completed its life cycle in two weeks and female mosquitoes can lay at least 100 eggs at a time and it can lay eggs three times during its lifetime.

"These eggs can exist in dry conditions for nearly one year and get activated during rainy weather conditions. That is why it is extremely difficult to get rid of the dengue mosquitoes," Dr. Kariyawasam added. "The most dangerous factor is that even a tea spoon of clean water is enough to complete this life cycle and negligence of such places can worsen the situation," Dr. Kariyawasam added.

Canal ways, abandoned lands and congested housing complexes around Colombo Port, Ginthupitiya, Kotahena, Mattakkuliya, Modera, Vanathamulla, Godella, Thimbirigasyaya, Kirulapone, Pamankada, Wellawatta, Maligawatta, Grand Pass, Borella, Bambalapitiya, Kurunduwatta and many other areas have been identified as vulnerable areas to the disease.

In the year 2001, the total number of dengue patients reported in Sri Lanka was about 5,000 and the number was increased upto 34,000 in the year 2010. "That was the number of patients admitted to hospitals. There might have been ten times of that number," he added.

In 2001 in the Colombo city limits the number of dengue patients reported was only 300 and it was increased to 1,954 during the year 2010.

The worst dengue situation was reported in the country in the year 2009 with 35,008 dengue patients and 346 dengue deaths.

"The 905 patients reported this year even before the end of May is worse scenarios and this can be developed into a epidemic level," he added.

The CMC is focusing much about schools, as poorly maintained lands in schools have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Over 300,000 students are studying at 150 schools in the Colombo city and the 439 students reported are from the Colombo city.

There may be more students from outstations getting the disease at their schools. "We need to clear all those mosquito breeding grounds at least once in two weeks as two weeks period is enough for the mosquito to complete its life cycle," he added.

It is useless to clean up the school premises alone, the surrounding areas also has to be kept clean to ensure the schoolchildren not being affected by the disease.

"There may be 200 to 250 houses around one school and the schools should assist the people around the schools also to clean up their gardens," he added.

What CMC is doing is to educate the people through house to house campaign and detect the places where mosquito breeding grounds are. "Within the Colombo city there are 80,000 blocks of lands 180,000 houses.

There is no possibility for us to visit each and every house and check them. People tend to deviate from their responsibilities.

Therefore, we request the people to continue the process of cleaning their gardens and houses," he added .

"For the past ten years we have been continuing the programmes to control mosquito disease. People should not wait till the authorities come and check their households," he added.

"Even in the areas where more affluent and educated people live, we found so many mosquito breeding grounds," he added. However, Dr. Kariyawasam pointed out that the poorly staffed Public Health Department alone cannot attend all the places and inspect them.

"At the same time getting our involvement for all the programmes conducted at national level also hamper the process of continuing the work within the Colombo city," he added.

A large number of people also complained that the lethargic attitude of some CMC workers to attend to the needs of the people has also been a contributing factor for the spread of the disease. Some areas in Maligawatta and Maradana have been completely neglected by the CMC officials.

Some school principals complained that despite a number of requests the CMC workers are not arriving to rectify the blocked drains and gullies and have neglected some canals.

CMC Special Commissioner Omar Kamil said that though they are keeping the city streets and other open spaces clean the people are neglecting their gardens and not attempting to clean the water collected in their places.

"As the CMC we are helping the community to keep their gardens clean by collecting their garbage on time and disposing them in a methodical way.

It is the responsibility of all to contribute for the eradication of mosquito breeding grounds because we have to take the responsibility for our own death and also of your neighbour if we are not conscious about our duty," Kamil added.

He said the collection of building materials at numerous places in the city in an untidy manner also contribute for the situation and the CMC would take possible steps to take action against the people responsible. The CMC invites all the schools to form Dengue eradication committees with the participation of MOHs, PHIs, School Principals and advisors.

"We all must get together and work towards eradicating mosquito menace from the city," Kamil added.