COLOMBO – Although the number of deaths due to Dengue has decreased in 2021, the number of dengue patients has doubled in the last two months of November-December, National Dengue Control Unit Director Dr.Sudath Samaraweera said.
Dr.Samaraweera told a press conference at the Government Information Department yesterday (31), that the risk of dengue has increased in about 15 districts. The risk of dengue is likely to increase in the future as well. With the opening of offices and schools as usual in the new year, every institution should prepare an annual dengue control plan, he said.
There is a risk of dengue spreading in urban as well as rural areas. Disposal materials, rain gutters, tanks, tyres, toilet systems, holes in tree trunks, indoor water containers, and construction sites, can help breed dengue larvae. Since household hygiene is important to combat this condition, it should be a daily routine to find and clean dengue breeding grounds and destroy mosquito larvae. Mosquito larvae control should be done using approved pesticides which should be applied according to the proper standards.
The main symptoms of dengue are high fever, body aches, headache and runny nose.Joining the press conference, Dr.Nimalka Pannilahetti, Community Physician, Dengue Control Unit, said that giving the patient rest, giving adequate fluids and keeping the body hydrated at an optimal level can help prevent dengue hemorrhage or shock. The specialist pointed out that the complications and deaths caused by dengue can be reduced by providing the patient with the necessary support and immunity for treatment without resorting to the use of unknown home and other remedies.
