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Sri Lanka recorded 1,069 dengue cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections reported this year to 47, 179, while the death toll stands at 28, according to Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper.
The newspaper cited the Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU), Dr Kapila Kannangara, as saying that during the non-epidemic periods, Sri Lanka typically records "between 150 and 200 dengue cases a day." However, amid the current high-risk situation, "daily infections had recently climbed to between 600 and 650 cases." The sharp rise in infections comes as health experts raised concerns over garbage accumulation near the Health Ministry in Colombo, warning that the waste could become a breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquitoes. According to the Daily Mirror, Specialist Dr Chamal Sanjeewa, Chairman of the Doctors' Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, said garbage had accumulated along Norris Canal Road and the surrounding areas within a 50-metre radius of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, creating potential mosquito breeding sites. Dr Sanjeewa said, "large amounts of waste had been dumped on roadsides and pathways, particularly along Norris Canal Road," posing a growing public health concern. He added that residential properties, apartment complexes and hotels around the Health Ministry had also been affected. According to the news report, Dr Sanjeewa warned that the garbage had remained unattended for several days, allowing rainwater to collect in the discarded items, "such as orange peels and other waste materials," creating ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. He further cautioned that the unsanitary conditions could pose a risk to patients receiving treatment at the nearby National Hospital of Sri Lanka and several private hospitals in the area. Dr Sanjeewa called on the Deputy Director General of the National Hospital, the Secretary to the Health Ministry and the relevant divisions of the Colombo Municipal Council responsible for sanitation services to "take immediate action to remove the garbage and address the potential dengue threat," the Daily Mirror reported. (ANI)
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