 |
| A school mural warning of dengue |
As a result of this we met with a maintenance contractor who is going to supply an estimate for laying pipes and supplying drainage; this will prevent pools of stagnant water accumulating thus eliminating the risk of dengue. FODAD intends to devote the rest of this year to collecting money to pay for this essential and life saving work.
More about dengue fever:
The disease has symptoms very similar to severe flu and can easily cause death through a complication called dengue haemorrhagic fever. Dengue fever is spread by the bite of infected female mosquitoes. Worldwide, there are an estimated 50 million cases of dengue fever annually. Most of those infected live in Africa and southeast Asia, where the disease is particularly prevalent and is the leading cause of death among children in certain Asian countries.
The Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka has made the third week of August 2011 ‘national dengue prevention week’. The campaign is being advertised on billboards, TV and through the schools, where children are learning the importance of keeping home and community spaces tidy. This is because the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which carry the disease throughout Asia breed mainly in man-made containers, such as metal drums and concrete cisterns used for water storage. But any waste items, however small, such as plastic food containers and jars, or larger items such as old car tyres, provide ideal breeding grounds.
Children and their parents are being urged to make special efforts to clear and clean areas which might offer breeding opportunities for the mosquitoes. An official from the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit felt that with public health, as well as the involvement of the military and police, the spread of the disease can be controlled.
The Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka has made the third week of August 2011 ‘national dengue prevention week’. The campaign is being advertised on billboards, TV and through the schools, where children are learning the importance of keeping home and community spaces tidy. This is because the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which carry the disease throughout Asia breed mainly in man-made containers, such as metal drums and concrete cisterns used for water storage. But any waste items, however small, such as plastic food containers and jars, or larger items such as old car tyres, provide ideal breeding grounds.
Children and their parents are being urged to make special efforts to clear and clean areas which might offer breeding opportunities for the mosquitoes. An official from the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit felt that with public health, as well as the involvement of the military and police, the spread of the disease can be controlled.
Dengue infection is a leading cause of death and sickness in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. Dengue is caused by one of four viruses that are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a more serious form of dengue infection.
ReplyDelete