Mosquito Breeding Control Act in force from May

Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry will take action soon to implement the Mosquito Breeding Control Act strictly from May 1 to control the dengue outbreak. Raids will be conducted countrywide through Public Health Inspectors and legal action will be taken against persons who violate the Act, Ministry sources said.

The sources said that under the Act a custodian will be appointed to each premises. The Act also allows to take legal action against Pradeshiya Sabhas and Urban Councils which do not clean mosquito breeding sites within their limits.

The main objective of this is to prevent a possible dengue outbreak that may hit the country parallel to the commencement of the monsoon rain season and the end of school holidays.

All schools will be instructed to clean their buildings and gardens spending half an hour every Friday. All residences private and State institutes have been instructed to clean their buildings and gardens every Sunday.

During a recent press briefing at the Health Education Bureau, Colombo it was revealed that there were 47 deaths caused by dengue in Sri Lanka and 28 deaths in 2005. The number of persons killed by dengue was 87 in 2004 and 32 in 2003.

Last year two per cent of dengue patients suffered from dengue haemorrhage and five per cent of them were serious.

Although there is no specific age group for dengue infection, the most affected age groups were 20 to 24 and two to 29.

Dengue haemorrhage can occur mostly in children of the age group five to nine. The most number of deaths were reported from the age groups of 0 to four and 30 to 34. The Colombo MC and suburbs are the most affected areas.