The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) yesterday launched a campaign to eradicate dengue which has reached dangerous proportions in the City. The campaign is mainly aimed at creating awareness about the disease and prosecuting action on those who have failed to comply with the CMC's request to keep their premises clean.
There is a 95 per cent increase in the number of dengue cases in the Colombo city alone, the Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) revealed. Eighteen patients have already been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital during this month. "This is an alarming situation and there is a possibility of a rise in the number of dengue patients in the coming months unless proper action is taken to control mosquito breeding," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said.
<p>Malaysia is looking to battle dengue fever by releasing mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered to be sterile. Although these efforts have stirred public concern, the country's Academy of Sciences is likely to recommend the strategy to the government within a month.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080521/full/453435a.html" target="_blank">Original Source</a></strong></p>
Hospitals in the Capital have been asked to check and prevent breeding of mosquitoes on their premises to ensure that malaria and dengue are kept under control this year.
Altogether 469 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Male', Villimale' and Hulhumale' during the first four months of the year, the Department of Public Health (DPH) has said. The DPH also said that four cases of dengue fever had been reported in Hulhumale so far this week. Earlier the DPH had said that 90 cases of dengue fever had been reported during January this year and that the disease was spreading swiftly.
The Government has geared up its machinery to fight any possible outbreak of dengue, chikungunya and other diseases during the monsoons. A meeting of the Emergency Action Committee for the Management of possible outbreak of dengue fever, chikungunya fever and Japanese encephalitis for North Goa District was held under the Chairmanship of Collector R Mihir Vardhan in the Conference Hall, Collectorate. In the meeting it was decided to create awareness among the people about these dreaded diseases.
The wards and the OPD of the district hospital, Matale are full of patients who are victims of the viral flu which is fast spreading in the Matale district. Among the patients are victims of rat fever, chikungunya, dengue, diarrhoea and infections like the viral flu. The patients are from the villages coming under the Municipal Council, Matale who are members of the same family, pregnant women, government servants and children under the age of 12 years.
The building construction activity which is going on at brisk pace in the twin industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad continues to pose health problems for residents. In last four months, as many as 51 citizens have been affected malaria. Another unnerving fact for citizens is that dengue cases, which are common after the rains, have also come to light. As many as 19 citizens have received treatment for dengue in different hospitals in last four months.
Dengue Control Week aims to combat killer disease A Dengue Control Week will be implemented throughout the country from April 28 to May 3 jointly by the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry and the National Dengue Control Unit.
One hundred and forty five dengue cases have been reported from Colombo this year, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Colombo, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Heavy rains over the past month have created a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue fever virus, deepening a crisis that has claimed at least 80 lives in the state of Rio. The dengue strain ravaging this tropical city is believed to be stronger and more deadly than the virus responsible for an epidemic in 2002, considered the worst in recent history in Brazil, according to Dr. Jacob Kligerman, health secretary for the city.
The statistics on dengue have been getting increasingly alarming over the past few years with 2
Brazil Troops Start Anti-Dengue Foot Patrols BRAZIL: April 9, 2008 RIO DE JANEIRO - Hundreds of Brazilian soldiers swapped ammunition packs for yellow bags of mosquito larvicide on Tuesday, taking the battle against a deadly dengue fever epidemic to the streets of Rio de Janeiro. The outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease has killed 68 people in the state of Rio, most of them in its capital -- a major tourism destination.
Climate Change A Factor In Deaths From Disease - WHO PHILIPPINES: April 8, 2008 MANILA - Climate change is one of the factors causing an increase in the incidence of diseases like malaria and dengue fever, the World Health Organisation said on Monday. At least 150,000 more people are dying each year of malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and floods, all of which can be traced to climate change, said Shigeru Omi, the head of the WHO's Western Pacific office. More than half of those deaths are in Asia, Omi told reporters.
With rains all around in the middle of a graduating summer, doctors fear the rise of a host of diseases, especially those associated with mosquito breeding.Doctors in the Capital apprehend more dengue and malaria cases this year due to high breeding of mosquitoes. Cases of common cold, fever, headache, body ache and rashes are already on a high.
Berries of a common weed found in India may be effective in fighting mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, a study has found. Synthetic insecticides are increasingly useless in fighting diseasespreading mosquitoes, such as the Stegomyia aegypti that can spread dengue and yellow fever viruses. In the online open-access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Indian scientists described how they used juice and extracts from the Solanum villosum weed and found it was particularly effective in eliminating Stegomyia aegypti larvae.
Sri Lanka Health Ministry says that 500,000 families living in the war ravaged Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts are vulnerable to diseases spread by mosquitoes such as dengue, chikungunya and mal
<p>Dengue is spreading in the Americas. Incremental changes in climate could help explain the disease's expansion, according to environmental scientists. But some dengue experts have called the link with climate "alarmist' and scientifically unsound.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(08)60435-3.pdf" target="_blank">Original Source</a></strong></p>
>> Mali's government has ordered the closure of 104 refined cooking oil factories across the country after an investigation revealed most of them don't have necessary equipment to produce
A rapid increase in mosquito-borne diseases has been observed in the last quarter of the previous year due to poor pest control services following the slashing of overtime for health staff, said Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam, the Colombo Municipal Council's Chief Medical Officer. "Nevertheless the department was able to control the diseases in the Colombo city limits by 57 per cent compared to 2006. Had not the services been interrupted we could have achieved better progress,' Dr. Kariyawasam added. He said the CMC re-activated its pest control services by spraying chemicals and fumigation of high risk areas after allocating adequate funds for the workers' over-time. The Department initiated a public awareness programme yesterday to explain Dengue and Chikungunya prevention measures to face a possible epidemic in the rainy season. Sources revealed that several cases diagnosed as Hepatitis-A in the city are mainly from homes close to the massive garbage dump in Mattakkuliya. Dr. Kariyawasam said the water consumed by residents of Mahawatte, Mattakkuliya and Modera are contaminated with sewerage due to poor sanitary facilities. The Municipality advised the public to consume only boiled water, refrain from eating half-cooked leafy vegetables to prevent Hepatitis - A. The public was educated through leaflets and banners detailing precautions and symptoms regarding Hepatitis-A.
