COLOMBO: Eight years after the end of a bloody civil conflict, Sri Lanka is on a war footing once again.
This time all available resources have been pitched against a pesky and increasingly deadly foe: the dengue-carrying mosquito.
In the first seven months of this year more than 109,000 cases of dengue infection have been reported in Sri Lanka, according to the Ministry of Health, with over 300 deaths, an all-time high.
The infection rate is more than four times the annual average recorded since 2010. Local and international experts warn that changing rainfall patterns that bring intense but short bursts of rain, combined with a lack of measures to limit mosquito breeding areas and the possible emergence of a new strain of the dengue virus, have made the island’s densely populated urban areas high-risk zones.
The outbreak follows heavy rains and flooding that have affected 600,000 people across 15 of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts, according to a situation report issued by the World Health Organization on July 24.
Since May, when over 400mm (15 inches) of rain fell within two days, more than 64,000 infections have been reported, the bulk from Western Province, where over a quarter of the country’s population of 20 million live.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that in unusual cases can be fatal.
WHO and Sri Lankan health authorities have warned patients to take an antigen test to detect possible dengue if they have a fever that lasts for more than a day.
There is no cure for dengue, and medical experts recommend early detection and expert care as the most effective way of overcoming an infection.
Ranil Peiris from Kelaniya in Western Province, whose 6-year-old son contracted dengue in June, said it was early detection that helped them.
When the boy had a persistent fever, their doctor recommended the antigen test, and based on the results Peiris’ son was admitted to the Ragama National Hospital, just north of the capital, Colombo.
“The ward was full of patients and there were more waiting to get admitted.” — Reuters
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