[File Photo]

The heavy rain and flooding over the past months have led to an increase in Dengue Fever and Leptospirosis cases.

From January until March 23rd, 5,128 Dengue Fever cases have been reported nationally.

The Western Division, where the outbreak was declared on February 3rd of this year, continues to drive the trends with 2,841 laboratory-confirmed cases.

The Central Division has recorded 1090 cases with rising numbers, the Northern Division recorded 1095 cases, and the Eastern Division has recorded 102 laboratory-confirmed cases.

Leptospirosis cases in the same period stood at 818 nationally.

The Central Division has recorded 307 cases to date, the Northern Division 228 cases, the Western Division 252 cases, and the Eastern Division 31 cases.

Typhoid cases also in the same period stand at 31 laboratory-confirmed cases, with 16 cases from the Western Division, 9 in the Central Division, 5 from the Northern Division, and one laboratory-confirmed case in the Eastern Division.

The Ministry of Health says its approach to ensuring effective interventions involves continuous house-to-house surveillance, larval sampling, application of larvicides to destroy mosquito larvae, and adult mosquito spraying, along with the implementation of clean-up campaigns to remove and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

Health teams are also conducting awareness programs to educate the public on the necessary measures to prevent the spread of and safeguard themselves from dengue fever.

Additionally, health inspectors continue to conduct site inspections, issue abatement notices, and fine members of the public whose properties have the presence of mosquitoes, which is an offense under the Public Health Act Cap 111.

These public health interventions are being conducted in all six subdivisions within the Western Division.

Similar programs are conducted in the remaining three divisions as proactive measures.

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