Talking point

It looks as if the anti-dengue drive and efforts to keep environs clean carried out with all the fanfare has a long way to go before the desired results are achieved.

We say this because no less a location than the President's House in Anuradhapura was not spared the possibility of a mosquito invasion. Surprisingly mosquito larvae were discovered in its surroundings.

How an official retreat of the President of the country missed the attention of the Anti-Dengue campaign is indeed a mystery, particularly so when the area had been notorious for the dengue epidemic dating back from pre-colonial days. What this shocking disclosure highlights is the need to carry out the anti-dengue and anti-pollution drive with more vigour cutting across rank and position, bringing even the premises and abodes of VIPs under the microscope.

The singular incident goes to demonstrate that the President's urgency to control the Dengue epidemic is not being taken up as keenly or with the same dengue of seriousness by the relevant ministries and the agencies.

Hope that this shocking disclosure would galvanize the authorities to redouble their efforts in the anti-dengue campaign.