The National Dengue Control Unit has declared a nationwide Dengue Control Week beginning Sunday, June 15, in a bid to intensify efforts to curb the rising spread of dengue across Sri Lanka, Ada Derana reported.
Community Physician Specialist Dr. Prasheela Samaraweera of the National Dengue Control Unit said the decision was taken in response to the increasing number of dengue cases reported island-wide. The week-long campaign will include intensified mosquito control activities, vector-breeding inspections and public-awareness drives.
A special mosquito control programme was conducted across the country on June 8, 9 and 10 to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding sites, Dr. Samaraweera said. An additional mosquito eradication week is being planned at the local government level to strengthen dengue prevention efforts and reduce the risk of further transmission.
Health authorities urged the public to support the initiative by maintaining clean surroundings and eliminating potential mosquito breeding grounds in homes and communities. Discarded containers, blocked drains, unused tyres and water-collecting plant axils are the most commonly cited indoor and outdoor breeding sources for the dengue vector Aedes aegypti.
The June 15 control week comes against a backdrop of rising case counts since the start of the year and follows targeted eradication drives across 74 MOH divisions earlier this month. Health officials have linked the current spread to monsoon-driven water accumulation and to recovery disruptions in vector-management programmes following Cyclone Ditwah.
The National Dengue Control Unit has not published a target reduction figure for the control week, nor an updated case count beyond the running islandwide totals released in earlier control-programme briefings.
Update — June 12 (Colombo District): The Colombo District Dengue Control Committee, meeting on Friday under the patronage of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya at the Colombo District Secretariat, declared a parallel Special Dengue Prevention Week in Colombo from June 15 to 21. Approximately 39,100 dengue cases have been reported islandwide this year to date, of which 25.8% have been recorded in Colombo District, marking it as a high-risk district, the Office of the Prime Minister said. Health authorities attributed the rising spread to the nature of the circulating virus, insufficient population immunity and recent heavy rainfall, and noted the current outbreak is being reported more frequently from public places — government institutions, private establishments, schools and religious venues — than from residential premises. The Colombo week will include community clean-up campaigns, inspections of high-risk premises by Divisional Secretariats with legal action where necessary, and public-awareness campaigns through the media. School administrations were asked not to involve students below Grade 10 in cleaning programmes and to immediately notify the relevant Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office if a student is diagnosed with dengue. Support is expected from the district’s political leadership, religious leaders of all faiths, public officials, local government institutions, the tri-forces and the police.
