• 39,000 Dengue cases and 20 deaths reported; presence of school children among the deceased is a critical situation!

• A 6-day special cleaning operation covering public, private, school, and residential premises.

• All 341 Local Government Authorities mobilized; public cooperation vital to win the battle – Minister Prof. Chandana Abayarathne and Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath.

The government's primary national target is to completely eradicate Dengue from Sri Lanka within the next two to four years, announced the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, Professor Chandana Abayarathne.

The Minister made these remarks while addressing a special press briefing today (11) at the Ministry auditorium to brief the media on the "National Dengue Suppression Program" scheduled to be implemented island-wide from June 15th to June 20th.

Expressing further views, the Minister pointed out that despite various suppression programs being implemented for nearly 20 years, it has not yet been possible to eradicate the Dengue epidemic from the country. Since the Ministry of Health cannot carry out this massive task alone, the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government is actively intervening. The Minister expressed confidence that since some countries in the world have already successfully eradicated the Dengue virus, Sri Lanka too can achieve this target through a collective effort.

Government Aims to Ensure Zero Deaths

While noting with regret that a significant number of deaths have been reported due to Dengue at present, the Minister stated that the government's next major goal is to ensure that no further deaths occur and to prevent any citizen from contracting the disease.

Commenting on the special week starting June 15th, Minister Prof. Chandana Abayarathne empha-sized that this program should not be limited to a week or a month. Although many people tend to forget the risk after the rainy season, continuous cleaning of premises is essential even during dry spells. Written instructions under the signature of the Ministry Secretary have already been issued to all Provincial Councils, Local Government Authorities, and other government institutions to clean their respective premises. He particularly urged strict attention to removing mosquito breeding sites such as abandoned tires and water-retaining containers.

Current Dengue Risk is Severe – Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath

Speaking at the briefing, the Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Ruwan Senarath, stated that a six-day special Dengue suppression program will be implemented from June 15th to 20th to control the rapidly spreading Dengue epidemic across the island.

Explaining the current situation with statistical data, the Deputy Minister stated that over 39,000 Dengue cases have been reported island-wide so far. Furthermore, more than 20 deaths have oc-curred due to Dengue, and he pointed out that the inclusion of school children under the ages of 5 and 10 among them is a very serious and sensitive situation. The Minister warned that the disease spreads rapidly in April, May, and June with the Southwest Monsoon rains, and if not controlled immediately, it will overwhelm the country's hospital system and health sector.

The 6-Day Special Joint Operation Schedule:

All 341 Local Government Authorities in the island, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Educa-tion, and the Environmental Police will jointly implement this 6-day operation on a daily basis as follows:

• June 15, 16, and 17 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday): Cleaning of all public places including ur-ban areas, blocked drainage systems, commercial complexes, religious places, and bus stands.

• June 18 (Thursday): Cleaning of all educational institution premises including schools, pre-schools, and private tuition classes.

• June 19 (Friday): Cleaning of all public and private institutions as well as factory premises.

• June 20 (Saturday): Cleaning of private houses and surrounding residential premises.

Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath further emphasized that since Dengue eradication is not something that a single ministry or the government can achieve alone, all citizens must actively contribute to this national program to protect their own lives and the lives of their children.

The special press conference was also attended by S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government; Dr. Kapila Kannangara, Direc-tor of the National Dengue Control Unit; Manoj Perera, Senior Superintendent of Police and Direc-tor of the Sri Lanka Police Environmental Protection Division; and Madara Nishanthi, Deputy Di-rector of Education at the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education.