Dengue raises its head again

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The third dengue virus serotype is now spreading in Sri Lanka after a few years, health officials have warned.

If a person has a fever that lasts for over two days he or she should get tested for dengue, doctors say.

Chief Medical Officer of Health of the Colombo Municipal Council, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, said that the third type was not found in Sri Lanka for 12 years and, therefore, Sri Lankans had little immunity against it.

Public Health Inspectors Union (PHIU) head, Upul Rohana, said that Sri Lanka still did not use data, or early warning systems, to tackle dengue.

“We have been fighting dengue for decades. We still use fairly basic methods. We check people’s houses and see if there are dengue breeding sites. This is mostly what we do. We need to do something beyond this,” he said.

The situation could be worse as heavy rain continues, especially in the western and southern provinces, officials at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) said.

Heavy rains, over 100 millimeters, were seen in the western and southern provinces and Mannar and Jaffna districts, the Met Department said.

Rains are expected to occur at Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Uva provinces, and Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Matara, Mannar and Jaffna districts today (May 03).