Now, early warning system for dengue

Nadira Gunatilleke

The first ever early warning system for a disease in Sri Lanka is to be set up soon. The early warning system for dengue fever will be setup with the assistance of the European Union (EU). The EU will assist in this project responding to a request made by Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, a special team from EU visited Sri Lanka last week in connection with setting up of the early warning system for dengue fever and held discussions with the Health Ministry officials including additional Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala.

“The proposed early warning system will warn the country whenever the dengue fever is about to reach to epidemic level. During the past few years, dengue became an epidemic in Sri Lanka.

The early warning system will help the public to prepare to face the epidemic and control dengue fever before it becomes an epidemic,” he said.

The four year development project assisted by EU will set up the dengue early warning system and upgrade the Medical Research Institute. Disease surveillance activities, entomological surveys, data base on communicable diseases and research on various diseases will also be upgraded under the development project, he said.