Dengue epidemic worsens

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry yesterday cautioned the public to be extra vigilant about dengue as the outbreak has now worsened to epidemic propositions with reportedly 75 deaths and with over 5,200 people officially reported to be infected with the disease.

The Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit said patients infected with dengue virus and those suffering from Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) have been reported from various parts of the country.

The worst hit districts are Colombo, Kandy, Gampaha, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Kaluatara, Matale, Hambantota, Batticaloa, Matara and Anuradhapura, the Ministry sources said.

The Epidemiology Unit also warned of the possibility that the mosquito borne disease may further spread as result of the monsoon rains.

The Unit requests the public to destroy mosquito breeding grounds in their surrounding as a precautionary measure.

The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes mosquito that has previously bitten an affected person. According to medical experts, the mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags and cans year around.