A National Dengue Mosquito Control Week will be announced at the end of this month since the dengue disease has turned into an epidemic this year compared to last year, the Director of Dengue Control Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said.
Over 50,000 people have been reported infected with dengue since the beginning of this year. There are 66 dengue high risk zones across the country and the most cases (51.8 percent) have been reported from the Western Province. Most patients are from Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Ratnapura and Kegalle districts, Dr. Samaraweera said.
In the past month there were 11,437 dengue cases and 1,916 cases have been reported so far this month.
He said that mosquito control efforts have been paralysed due to the lack of fuel for fumigation. In the meantime, the people should keep the surrounding environment clean to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.