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Premier
spearheads campaign against Dengue
July 23 has been declared as the day to carry out this programme. The National Health Council headed by Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapakse is to spearhead the National Program to Control Dengue. Earlier the Prime Minister had suggested the importation of bacteria from Cuba to carry out a viable method to eradicate the Dengue menace. The bacteria BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), is said to have been successfully used by many countries including Cuba, Germany and Singapore. Earlier medical experts had predicted that the Dengue epidemic was sharply increasing and a peak was to be expected by June and July, as the response by both the Government and the public had been negative. Many concerned expressed their alarm and have emphasised on the need for an effective policy to combat the disease, which has come to be known as one of the worst health issues in Sri Lanka. Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana, former Director of the Medical Research Institute (MRI) and head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dengue Task Force told The Sunday Times that after an outbreak in 1997, President Chandrika Kumaratunga had invited him to head the National Dengue Control Task Force. Prof. Vitharana said during the three years he headed the Task Force it had brought the disease under control and the country had not seen another outbreak until the Health Ministry took over. He added that after the Health Ministry took over the control of Dengue, the National Dengue Control Task Force had ceased to function. He said an Inter-ministerial Committee comprising officials from the Ministries of Environment, Urban Development, Local Government and Health has been appointed to coordinate the National Program to Control Dengue. He also said that 90% of the mosquitoes breed in outdoor breeding places where rainwater accumulated and the rest was from breeding places found indoors. Prof. Vitharana stressed the importance of eliminating the outdoor breeding places for the prevention of Dengue. Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, Director of the Epidemiological Unit of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition said although the country had seen several outbreaks it had not experienced cases of this magnitude earlier. Dr. Abeysinghe said although Kurunegala was improving, the situation in Colombo, Kandy and Gampaha districts was worsening by the day. Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam, Chief Medical Officer of the Public Health Department (PHD) of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) said the number of cases had risen to the all time high of 160 during July. He said although due to the introduction of the Dengue-controlling BTI bacteria and spraying of chemicals has reduced the outbreak in old pockets, the disease has spread to new areas where it had not been rampant earlier, including the North of Colombo City. Dr. Kariawasam said 90% of the new cases were reported from these new areas. He said the disease which was earlier prevalent in the upper and upper-middle classes was now indicating a tendency to creep into the lower classes as well. A committee appointed earlier by the Health Ministry to look into the bacterial control of Dengue has objected to its use and had recommended environment clean up and public awareness as the best option. Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said although the Health Ministry had ruled that the bacterial control was not viable the CMC had achieved good results with the spraying of the bacteria. |
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