The breataux index which indicates the density of dengue mosquito vectors is dangerously high and it is reaching 20 percent according to the latest vector surveillance. The recommended level is below five percent, the Government Medical Officers’ Association Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said.
He told a press briefing at the GMOA Headquarters in Colombo yesterday that over 25,000 dengue patients had been detected in the country at present and 40 percent of them are from the Western Province. The Colombo district is in the highly risk category.
Dr. Aluthge said that the last large-scale dengue outbreak was reported in Sri Lanka in 2017 and a large-scale dengue outbreak is expected every five years. This year all the patterns and background for a large-scale dengue is already there.
Jaffna, Galle, Kurunegala, Kandy and the Ratnapura districts had reported a high number of dengue patients. The GMOA has presented a set of proposals with five steps to avoid another huge dengue outbreak, he added.