Mosquitos work overtime as pest control dips

Shirley Wijesinghe

A rapid increase in mosquito-borne diseases has been observed in the last quarter of the previous year due to poor pest control services following the slashing of overtime for health staff, said Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam, the Colombo Municipal Council’s Chief Medical Officer.

“Nevertheless the department was able to control the diseases in the Colombo city limits by 57 per cent compared to 2006. Had not the services been interrupted we could have achieved better progress,” Dr. Kariyawasam added.

He said the CMC re-activated its pest control services by spraying chemicals and fumigation of high risk areas after allocating adequate funds for the workers’ over-time.

The Department initiated a public awareness programme yesterday to explain Dengue and Chikungunya prevention measures to face a possible epidemic in the rainy season. Sources revealed that several cases diagnosed as Hepatitis-A in the city are mainly from homes close to the massive garbage dump in Mattakkuliya.

Dr. Kariyawasam said the water consumed by residents of Mahawatte, Mattakkuliya and Modera are contaminated with sewerage due to poor sanitary facilities.

The Municipality advised the public to consume only boiled water, refrain from eating half-cooked leafy vegetables to prevent Hepatitis - A. The public was educated through leaflets and banners detailing precautions and symptoms regarding Hepatitis-A.