300% jump in dengue cases

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The number of dengue patients had increased by 300 percent compared to 2021, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday.Kumudesh said that about 60,000 cases had been reported so far this year. “During the same time in 2021, fewer than 20,000 cases were reported. Most cases have been reported from the Western Province. Higher numbers are also reported from Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Kegalle, Puttalam, and Kurunegala districts,” he said.Kumudesh said 36 MOH divisions have been declared vulnerable areas. However, most government hospitals did not have testing kits to detect dengue, he said.

“The Ministry of Health has not paid a number of companies for testing kits purchased in the past. Now, these companies do not sell test kits to the Ministry of Health. In the meantime, Rs. 125 million earmarked for purchasing medicine in the 2022 third quarter has not been spent. 60 million US Dollars are left in the Indian credit line to buy medicines. We can easily buy testing kits and reagents with this money,” he said.