Chikungunya, Dengue surge; local authorities fail in clean–up

• Politicians scramble to form local administrations, will they act with the same zeal in eradicating mosquitoes?
• Public places, construction sites, empty lands are thriving mosquito breeding grounds
• One-fourth of houses found to have mosquito breeding spots
• Hospitalisations on the rise

Colombo, May 27 (Daily Mirror) - The political parties and independent groups that won the recent local authorities’ election are scrambling to form administrations. Once back in office, they are going to be entrusted with a key responsibility- the eradication of mosquito breeding places. One wonders whether they will act with the same zest and zeal at a time when the country is witnessing a surge in the number of Chikungunya and Dengue cases.

The health authorities have issued red notices to nearly 4,000 locations as part of a special dengue eradication programme conducted from May 19 to 24 across 15 districts.

In the latest survey on mosquito breeding places, 128,824 premises - 119,677 homes, 257 schools, 304 other educational institutions, 789 government offices, 5,025 private institutions, 700 construction sites, 195 factories, 263 public places, and 514 religious premises- were inspected

Out of these, 31,145 premises were identified as having potential mosquito breeding grounds. Active mosquito larvae were found in 6,077 places, and legal action was taken in 1,470 cases. In the analysis of findings, public places such as schools, construction sites were found to have mosquito breeding grounds. As many as 132 schools out of 257 examined, mosquito breeding spots were found. One–fourth of the houses inspected were also found to have such spots.

An official of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) said a severe warning had been given to the local authorities to clear public and unattended private lands of mosquito breeding spots.

Despite a significant rise in Dengue and Chikungunya cases, several government lands within the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area have become dumping sites, creating ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

It is concerning that while the public is constantly warned to keep their surroundings clean, the government itself has failed to maintain its own properties.

Many of these neglected state lands are located in busy residential areas, directly endangering the lives of the very citizens they are meant to serve.

When the Daily Mirror inspected these areas, several government-owned lands were found littered with garbage and stagnant water, offering perfect conditions for mosquito breeding.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, H. W. Somaratne, and Director (Planning) of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), said there is a routine plan to deploy teams to clean lands under the UDA.

“We act swiftly when we get complaints regarding unclean lands,” he said.

He added that complaints can be lodged via 011-2873640, allowing the UDA to deploy teams to clean the affected areas.

However, he noted that they have not received complaints recently about such lands.

Deputy Director of the Colombo National Hospital, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, told Daily Mirror that the minor congestion at the National Hospital in Colombo in wards is due to issues with the hospital's admission policy.

Nevertheless, he said there has been a dramatic rise in admissions of Dengue and Chikungunya patients.

Meanwhile, renowned virologist Professor Neelika Malavige shared on the social media platform X that Sri Lanka is facing a major outbreak of the Chikungunya virus, the worst resurgence in nearly 20 years.

She revealed that whole-genome sequencing, done using the Oxford Nanopore analysis system, confirmed that the circulating virus strain belongs to the Indian Ocean Lineage (IOL), similar to strains found in other parts of South Asia.

“This is the largest outbreak Sri Lanka has experienced since the end of 2024, following a 16-year period without major transmission,” Professor Malavige said.