The government has instructed relevant officials to take immediate action to mitigate the risk of dengue in Colombo, particularly with the onset of the rainy season.
Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka advised the preparation of a special awareness programme to educate school children and parents.
The special awareness programme will be conducted through the Ministry of Education during ‘Dengue Prevention Week’, from May 26 to June 1.
Additionally, Ratnayaka directed authorities to work on reducing the risk of dengue around public institutions, religious places and new construction sites. He emphasized the need for relevant departments to enforce regulations against those who do not comply with these preventive measures.
Sagala Ratnayaka issued these instructions during a progress review meeting on the current status of the dengue control program, held on Monday (May 20) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was chaired by State Minister for Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President, Sagala Ratnayaka, along with Chief of Defence Staff, General Shavendra Silva, to review the implementation of the decisions taken in the previous meeting and assessed their current progress.
The measures implemented in the past period to control the spread of dengue and their effectiveness were discussed at length, with a particular focus on the health medical officer divisions in the Western Province, where an increase in dengue cases has been observed.
Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Palitha Mahipala, commended Sagala Ratnayaka for his leadership and guidance in controlling dengue and affirmed that the Ministry of Health will extend its fullest support to this program. (Newswire)