COLOMBO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will launch a three-day national dengue control program from June 24 to 26, covering 600 Grama Niladhari divisions, the lowest grassroots administration body, the President's Media Division said in a statement on Monday.
The decision was taken at a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday afternoon on short-term and long-term plans to control the spread of dengue, which authorities said has been increasing rapidly due to the southwest monsoon season.
The meeting was chaired by Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa and Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. Authorities decided to issue circulars outlining short-term dengue control measures to be carried out by state institutions, schools and local government bodies.
The meeting also decided to establish a monitoring unit to strengthen legal action related to dengue prevention. Officials further agreed to intensify dengue control activities through community strength committees and public security committees already established at the regional level.
According to the statement, schools, factories, state institutions and religious places have been identified as locations where dengue mosquitoes are breeding in large numbers. The need to accelerate short-term measures covering these locations was emphasized during the discussion.
Sri Lanka has recently seen a rapid increase in dengue cases. On Sunday, a total of 1,069 fresh cases were reported, marking the first time daily figures of new dengue cases crossed the 1,000-mark. ■