Universities urged to strengthen community support to prevent dengue outbreaks

Colombo, July 20 (Daily Mirror) - Universities cannot combat the growing dengue threat alone and called for greater cooperation from surrounding communities and the health sector to prevent possible outbreaks, Education and Higher Education Deputy Minister Dr. Madura Seneviratne has said.

Speaking at the launch of the Clinical Management and Standard Guidelines for Surveillance and Prevention of Dengue Disease for all universities in Sri Lanka, held yesterday (20) at the Ministry of Higher Education in Ward Place, Colombo, the Deputy Minister said universities and student hostels, particularly those located in urban areas, face a higher risk of dengue clusters due to population density and environmental conditions.

He said the newly introduced guidelines would provide universities with a structured approach to identify dengue cases at an early stage, ensure proper clinical management of infected students, strengthen disease surveillance and implement effective measures to prevent mosquito breeding and transmission.

Dr. Seneviratne said that similar dengue prevention guidelines had already been introduced for schools and Pirivena educational institutions, and the new university-specific guidelines would further strengthen dengue control measures within the higher education sector.

“Dengue prevention is not a responsibility that universities can shoulder alone. Support from the surrounding communities and the health sector is essential to successfully control the spread of the disease,” he said.

The Deputy Minister added that active participation from students, academic staff and university employees would be vital in implementing dengue prevention programmes and creating safer learning environments.

The guidelines were jointly developed by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, the Ministry of Health, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU), with expert contributions from the University of Colombo.

The initiative aims to establish a uniform dengue surveillance and prevention mechanism across all state universities, while improving awareness, preparedness and response capacity within the university community.