The Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council will conduct a house to house anti-dengue inspection in the Mattakkuliya area tomorrow (06), followed by a shramadana on Saturday (07) in collaboration with CMC engineers and the Police of the area, head of the CMC’s Public Health Department said.

Deputy Director General (Public Health), P. Mahipala told ‘The Island,’ yesterday (04), that by January 23 this year, there had been 608 dengue cases reported in the country while in 2008 last year during the corresponding period there had been 525 cases. "We were worried that there may be an unprecedented increase, but by the end of January there were only 750 cases" he said.

Health authorities had also been carrying out house to house programmes with the assistance of public health inspectors affiliated to local government bodies to create awareness and shramadanas campaigns (voluntary cleaning campaigns) in a bid to minimize the spread of mosquito borne diseasres.

A patient with flu should seek medication should he or she experience a fever which lasts more than two days. "Go to the nearest government hospital for treatment", Dr. Mahipala advised.