The dengue death toll from the beginning of the year rose to seventy and the number of dengue cases rose to 5,100. Sensing the grave situation that had hitherto been under control, the Health Ministry in collaboration with the Epidemiology Unit and the Dengue Control Programme has decided to conduct serious and intensive training for twenty consultants from every district in the country beginning Tuesday (26) in a bid to arrest the alarming trend.

The spokesman for the Health Ministry yesterday (22) blamed the victims. Many of the deaths had occurred because patients neglected the early symptoms. A majority died in the haemorrhagic stage, doctors said. This stage develops when the patients suffer from high fever and when red spots appear on the skin. Doctors urged the public to seek treatment from government hospital or from a qualified doctor when at the initial stages.

"Our main aim in training consultants is to teach medical officers on handling dengue cases. The consultants in turn will create an awareness of patient management among other health workers" the spokesman said. Even the saline drip to the patient needs to be regulated at the hemorrhagic stage, depending on the internal bleeding.

If the patient is to be transferred after receiving primary care from one hospital to another – the health staff must ensure that laboratory facilities made available during the night as well. The hospital authorities will have to ensure that there is a medical laboratory technician on call during the night as well, the spokesman said.

Sevenrty eight cases have been reported within the Colombo City limits during the first three weeks of this month. Last year only 52 were recorded during the same period. The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will carry out house to house inspections in Maligawatte, Grandpass, Kotahena and Aluthkade today (23). ‘They would conduct shramadana campaigns’ mass inspections, clearing and fogging. The CMC fears that the situation would worsen with the onset of the monsoon.

The Mosquito breeding and control Act passed in Parliament is a useless piece of legislation, annoyed Public Health Inspectors of the CMC said. The local government laws permit any public health officer to carry out inspections of homes without having to ask for permission from the owner. "We don’t have the hassle of filling forms or acquire warrants to inspect houses. People must remember that we are not doing it for our benefit but to protect their health," they said.