Health Minister to take action:

Govt depts have 22,194 dengue hot spots

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has informed National Dengue Prevention Campaign Officers to file cases in Courts against the Heads of Government Institutions who maintained possible dengue mosquito breeding places.

A list of Government Institutions which maintained dengue mosquito breeding places is to be handed over to the President who is the Head of the Presidential Task force on Dengue Prevention.

The fourth National Dengue Prevention Week is being conducted by the Presidential Task force from December 1 to 7. Parallel to this week, 390,675 places including Government institutions and schools were checked and among them 116,496 spots were found to be possible dengue mosquito breeding places.

It was revealed that about 90 percent of the examined grounds of Government institutions were maintaining possible dengue mosquito breeding places. Mosquito larvae was found from 22,194 places and notices have been issued to 11,050 people those who maintained these unsuitable environmental conditions.

It was observed that no action was taken by the Heads of these institutions to destroy possible dengue breeding places.

The worst conditions were recorded at bus halts and depots. A number of leading schools had also maintained favourable conditions for dengue mosquitoes.

The Health Minister has ordered a list of the names of these Government institutions.