Over 40% of schools found with Dengue breeding sites

Colombo, June 16 (Daily Mirror) - Dengue inspections carried out across Sri Lanka have revealed a high prevalence of mosquito breeding sites within school premises, Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing, Dr. Jayatissa stated that around 41% of locations inspected within the school system were found to contain dengue mosquito breeding sites.

He said inspections also detected breeding sites in 28% of religious places and 26% of industrial premises, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem.

The Minister noted that the dengue situation has become particularly severe in 14 districts and warned that the number of cases continues to rise in several parts of the country.

According to Dr. Jayatissa, increased case numbers have been reported in the Western and Southern Provinces, as well as in the districts of Kandy and Matale in the Central Province, Badulla, Batticaloa, two districts in the North Western Province, and both districts in the Sabaragamuwa Province.

He stressed that the success of the ongoing dengue prevention programme depends on the active participation of all sectors of society and called for coordinated efforts to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and curb the spread of the disease.