Four years after Sri Lanka’s worst outbreak of dengue fever, the number of deaths is declining. In 2004, 88 people died, with 15,334 cases on record. In 2008, those numbers had fallen to 24 deaths and 6430 registered cases. The health ministry is, however, calling for greater vigilance to prevent a resurgence of the mosquito-borne disease.

The government is in particular discouraging people from using insecticides, because of the danger that the dengue mosquito develops a resistance to the chemicals. According to Supriya Warusavithana of the World Health Organization, the best way to combat the disease is to 'change the behaviour of people and mobilise community support to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.' The main strategy is therefore persuading people to keep homes and neighbourhoods free of potential breeding sites, such as tyres and other receptacles where water collects.

WHO has been supporting the Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) strategy [1] with funds and technical advice. The agency gave US$ 90,000 (€ for 2008 and 2009 to supplement the government’s budgetary allocation for the dengue control programme.

[1] see the 2004 WHO publication: Planning social mobilization and communication for dengue fever prevention and control : a step-by-step guide

Related news: Bhutan, Thimphu: first case of dengue fever in capital, Source South Asia, 17 Sep 2008

Related web sites: WHO - Dengue

Source: IRIN, 08 Jan 2009

Tags: emergencies, hygiene promotion, south asia, water-related diseases