Long-term plan essential to mitigate dengue epidemic, Prime Minister says

A long-term programme, not limited only to a dengue prevention week, is essential to mitigate the dengue epidemic, and the dengue challenge must be overcome collectively just as previous challenges were overcome, Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya stated.

The Prime Minister mentioned this in the Kottawa area today (16) while addressing a special dengue prevention programme organized with the aim of controlling the spread of dengue disease and raising public health awareness in conjunction with the dengue prevention week.

Speaking further, the Prime Minister stated that the risk of dengue in the country is currently rising, and the Colombo district is identified as a high-risk zone.

Health sectors informed that within the Colombo district, Maharagama town is at a special high-risk level, and it is identified that this risk exists abundantly in public places, particularly including schools, government, and private sector offices.

"As a government, we declare a dengue prevention week and make a special intervention to minimize the risk to the people. But this week alone is not enough. Just as we successfully overcame the challenges that arose during the past one and a half years, everyone must gather and make a determined, collective effort. Considering the dengue prevention process as one's own responsibility, we must first work to turn the Colombo district from high risk to a low-risk area and gradually eradicate it from the country altogether," the Prime Minister emphasized.

After addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya also joined to inspect the bus stand and surrounding areas in the Kottawa area.

Speaking on this occasion, Maharagama Urban Council Chairman Saman Samarakoon expressed his gratitude to all institutions that provided a special contribution to make this dengue prevention programme a success, including the Maharagama Urban Council, Kottawa Police, security forces teams, Maharagama Divisional Secretariat, Public Health Officer's Office, Housing Development Authority, Land Registry Office, Road Passenger Transport Authority, Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Kottawa Ananda Vidyalaya, and the Kottawa Traders Association.

Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sunil Kumara Gamalath, Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, and Colombo District Parliamentarian Devananda Suraweera, along with an invited group, attended the event.