The National Dengue Control Unit stated that 1,363 dengue cases have been reported till September 15 alone.
Speaking to the Daily News yesterday (15), National Dengue Control Unit Director Dr. Nalin Ariyaratne further said that there are nearly 91 cases that are getting diagnosed as infected with dengue per day during the first half of this month which is low in numbers compared to previous month’s (August) daily cases recorded as close to 167.
Even though the number of those infected with dengue has seen a decline in recent months, Dr.Ariyaratne requested the people to pay extra attention on the places where dengue mosquitoes breed including unsupervised unsuspected breeding sites especially outdoors where water collects, due to number of dengue infected cases detected across the country could increase because of the current ongoing rainy conditions experienced in most parts of the country.
In July there were nearly 8,000 cases reported infected with dengue and August saw a decline with the total number infected dropping to 5,189, Dr.Ariyaratne said.
However, due to ongoing scattered rains experienced in most parts of the island the potential breeding places may tend to rise as the where as a result the density of mosquitoes would increase resulting in high number of dengue cases, he warned.
Dr.Ariyaratne requested for people to be vigilant on potential outdoor mosquito breeding sites and to ensure to carry out regular clean up operations to mitigate the density of mosquitoes to prevent an increase in dengue cases again.
Based on the available data of the National Dengue Control Unit, it is reported that the number of dengue cases in the country so far this year is more than 63,000.
There are about 140 species of mosquitoes in Sri Lanka and out of them Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito species transmit the dengue virus to humans and their breeding cycle is between 8 to 10 days. These two types of mosquitoes can be differentiated by using the distinctive markings on their bodies.
The dengue virus can transmit to the next generation through the eggs which are major threats for dengue control in the country.
