The Ministry of Health declared the week from 20th June to 26th June as the National Dengue Prevention Week to launch island wide cleaning campaigns for mosquito eradication as well as awareness campaigns.

The National Dengue Prevention Week is jointly launched by the Presidential Dengue Task Force and the Ministry of Health.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena will launch the programme from Nugegoda MOH division today.

The Ministry has divided the island into seven dengue zones and the programme is conducted in each zone on one day of the week.

According to Ministry of Health supervision of the premises for mosquito breeding and awareness programmes are a major part of the programme.

During the week, special teams will inspect premises for mosquito breeding in 305 MOH divisions throughout the country.

The Minister has warned to take stern legal action against the people who hinder the inspections and services of health officials during the mosquito eradication program.
According to the statistics from the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, the dengue menace has claimed 69 lives and 7,948 people have contracted the disease so far this year.

Nearly one-third of the dengue cases have been reported in the Colombo district. Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, and Batticaloa are the most affected districts.

According to the World Health Organization, there is no effective vaccine again dengue available or drug treatment for those who become infected.

Elimination of breeding places of the female mosquito is the most effective way to prevent the transmission of the dengue virus through the disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Anything that can hold water, such as flower pots, empty coconut shells, jars, and places where the rain water collects are breeding grounds for the female Aedes mosquito.