Reduce risk of dengue

Here’s about dengue.

Red Cross volunteers across Sri Lanka are working to stop the spread of a dengue fever epidemic that has already claimed 175 lives and affected more than 17,000 people.

The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) is working closely with the Ministry of Health to raise awareness of the disease and help people reduce their risk of catching it.

With funding from the American Red Cross, 28 schools in the southern Galle and Matara districts have been given awareness-raising workshops for students and their parents on how to keep a clean and clear environment, prevent stagnant water bases and to seek medical advice as soon as they think they might be infected.

Lack of knowledge

Winodan Dias, project coordinator for the SLRCS disaster preparedness programme in Galle, says: "Many have now realized that it is not just about keeping one's environment clean and clear of mosquito breeding pits. The rise in the level of the epidemic also has a lot to do with the lack of knowledge about the disease."

As well as disseminating information, the health authorities have implemented a national dengue control programme, which gives public health inspectors and officials the right to inspect public places and residences for mosquito breeding sites and take legal action against offenders.

Leaflets have been distributed in 14 schools and communities in the Galle and Matara districts, Gampaha and Colombo and banners have been erected in various public places and among community villages not just in Galle and Matara but also in Colombo and Gampaha districts. The SLRCS and a number of communities in both districts have also campaigns to help clean their villages and get rid of potential mosquito breeding grounds.

Awareness-raising

The SLRCS has also encouraged teams of volunteers known as village disaster management committees to include door-to-door awareness-raising in their campaigns in various areas in the south, including Bentota, Balapitiya, Hikaduwa, Galle and Habaraduwa.

In June, the World Health Organization said that some 2.5 billion people are now at risk from dengue and established that there may be 50 million cases of the disease worldwide every year.