Over 70,000 premises inspected on first day of national dengue control drive

Colombo, June 8 (Daily Mirror) - More than 70,000 premises were inspected on the first day of the three-day special national dengue mosquito control programme launched by the Health and Mass Media Ministry.

The programme began today (8) in 72 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) divisions across 14 districts and will continue until June 10.

Speaking during a progress review held at the Disaster Management Unit of the Ministry, Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Kapila Kannangara, said the first day of the programme had been highly successful.

Teams comprising members of the tri-forces, police, government institutions, MOH offices, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, village committees, public health inspectors, medical officers, dengue control assistants and other health staff conducted door-to-door inspections to identify mosquito breeding sites.

Dr. Kannangara said all stakeholders had shown strong commitment and dedication to the programme.

He noted that inspections carried out on more than 70,000 premises had led to the identification of a large number of dengue mosquito breeding sites and larvae in homes, schools and government institutions. Legal action had also been initiated against several institutions and premises where mosquito larvae were detected.

Dr. Kannangara further stated that many mosquito breeding sites were found in abandoned or unoccupied properties, highlighting the need for greater attention to such locations.

He urged the public and all relevant parties to extend their maximum support during the remaining two days of the programme.

The Ministry of Health and Mass Media is expected to release a detailed report on the first day's progress to the media tomorrow (9).