SL warned of double-whammy

By Rathindra Kuruwita 

Sri Lanka Health Education Officers’ Association (SLHEOA) yesterday warned the government that it needed to take immediate steps to curb the spread of dengue.

  Given that the health sector capacity has already been stretched to its limits because of COVID-19, it would not be able to cope with a dengue outbreak, Secretary of the Association Prasad Ariyaratne said.

He said compared to 2020, there was an increase in dengue cases reported in the country. Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Kandy, Matara, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Galle and Hambantota districts were the most affected by dengue, Ariyaratne said.

“About 70% of the cases are reported from the Western Province. We also know that the highest number of COVID-19 cases has been reported from the same areas. Already COVID-19 has stretched health staff to the brink of collapse, and we feel that an outbreak of dengue would overwhelm the entire health system,” he said.

Ariyarathne said that usually health officials carried out dengue eradication programmes with the participation of all stakeholders by May each year. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, there had been no such programme.

“Health officials and security forces are focused on controlling COVID-19. However, this is not a reason to ignore dengue. Government officials and elected representatives at the grassroots level must face the challenge. Members of the general public must also act responsible and keep the environment clean and free from mosquito breeding places.