Attachments
A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
Sri Lanka faced an unpredicted outbreak of dengue fever. It is a tropical country with two monsoon seasons. With each monsoon brings in two peaks of dengue fever making it an endemic disease in Sri Lanka. However, 2017 started with an exceptionally high number of dengue cases which shot up to an outbreak in May-June 2017, creating the largest dengue outbreak experienced by the country for last three decades.
During the year 2017 a total of 186,101 suspected dengue cases were reported and as of 24 May 2018 a total of 19,459 suspected dengue cases were reported to the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Sri Lanka with over 320 deaths in 2017 and 202 deaths in 2018. Over 40 per cent of dengue cases were reported from the Western province.
The highest numbers of dengue cases were reported during the 29th week of 2017. All four virus types of dengue have been seen in Sri Lanka. The outbreak was predominantly due to Dengue Fever Virus Type 2 (DEN-2), which was not the usual type circulating in Sri Lanka. According to the WHO, this is a 4.3-foldhigher than the average number of cases for the same period between 2010 and 2016.
Monthly reported dengue cases are varied depending on the rains received. In July 2017 the highest number of dengue cases were reported where 22 per cent of the total dengue cases reported.
Historical data shows that there were always two peaks of dengue incidence in Sri Lanka. One during Southwest monsoons and another during Northeast monsoons. Analysis of the data on the present outbreak showed the incidence of dengue were high in eastern province and districts adjoining to western province. Especially with the commencement of the North-Eastern monsoons, there was a risk of Dengue outbreaks in more districts. The MoH requested from SLRCS with a second letter dated 11 September 2017 to scale up the activities at community level.
Since the schools have been considered as a hot spot for dengue in Sri Lanka and were closed in the month of December. Considering there was trend of outbreak in January and February, SLRCS requested for two-month extension till 28 February 2018, to allow sufficient time to complete the school awareness activities and to conduct public awareness public education (PAPE) on Dengue prevention via mainstream media.
Furthermore, for the sustainability of the program, dengue activities were incorporated to ongoing flood operations and operation plan activities.