Health Ministry launches DDSP

13 February 2012 03:41 pm

The Health Ministry will launch a four-year Dengue Diseases Surveillance Project (DDSP) at a cost of Rs.169 million provided by the European Union, a spokesman of the ministry said today.

The DDSP, which is drawn and carried out by the Health Ministry with the technical know how and financial assistance of the EU has received cabinet approval and a team of medical experts headed by Prof. T. Gubleger of Duke University in Singapore has already arrived in Sri Lanka, spokesman W.M.D.Wanninayake said.

Other members of the medical team have been drawn from Heidelberg Universitye in Germany, Boston University in the US and Umea University in Sweden.

The DDSP expects to device a medical process to swiftly identify a dengue patient and to identify a possible outbreak of dengue in advance before it develops into epidemic proportions.

The Colombo General Hospital and Avissawella District Hospital have been selected as main research points of the DDSP.

A National Quality Control Lab on dengue would also be  set up under the project, Mr. Wanninayake said.

“The team of medical experts had a lengthy discussion with Health Secretary, Dr. Ravindra Ruberu, Additional Secretary, Dr. Palitha Mahipala and Director General, Dr. Ajith Mendis today. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)