Community Health Specialist Dr. Thushani Dabarera yesterday said about 50 meningitis patients were receiving treatment in hospitals and the total number of meningitis cases were nearly 200.

Dr. Dabarera said so at a Health Ministry media briefing.

“We have issued special guidelines to all health sectors and institutions to prevent the disease from spreading further within schools and communities.”

Dr. Dabarera said that though they noted a slight drop in the number of cases, the rainy season may aggravate the situation.

She urged the public to strictly follow health advice and adopt preventive measures.

According to the Epidemiology Unit, the main symptoms of the disease include high fever, headache and vomiting, with symptoms usually appearing between three to seven days after exposure to the virus.

Authorities said the disease mainly spreads through contaminated food and water, while it can also be transmitted through droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes, as well as through close contact.

Convenor of the Democratic Front, Rehan Jayawickrema, has said that in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query submitted to the Presidential Secretariat, in respect of the utilisation of local and foreign donations received by the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, in support of post-Ditwah cyclone recovery efforts, several critically important questions, regarding the donors, disbursement of funds and monitoring process/mechanism weren’t answered.

Appearing on news line with Faraz Shauketaly, Jayawickrema said that though the Presidential Secretariat disclosed altogether USD 11.4 mn and Rs 6 bn had been received, it couldn’t answer other questions pertaining to identity of donors, specific amounts, utilisation of funds, monitoring, procurement and related matters.

How could the Presidential Secretariat, tasked with the project, claim it was not aware. Jayawickrema compared the Presidential Secretariat response to the situation caused by accusations pertaining to the Helping Hambantota programme, during Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga presidency. (SF)

The United States Congress’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) has renewed calls for accountability and redress for wartime abuses in Sri Lanka, marking Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day by highlighting the continuing absence of justice for Tamil victims and survivors seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict, Tamil Guardian reported.

In a statement published on X last week, the bipartisan congressional commission said that impunity for grave abuses committed during the war remains entrenched despite years of international scrutiny and repeated calls for accountability.

“17 years after the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, impunity for grave human rights violations and abuses persists,” the commission stated.

“Today, as Tamil survivors and their loved ones memorialize those who were lost, the TLHRC urges redress for harms and accountability for perpetrators.”

The intervention came as Tamils across the North-East homeland and the global diaspora marked Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on 18 May, commemorating the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians killed during the final stages of the armed conflict in Mullivaikkal in 2009. Tamil organisations and survivors continue to maintain that the massacres constituted a genocide against the Tamil nation.

This year’s commemorations saw renewed international calls for justice and accountability, with lawmakers, rights organisations and advocacy groups across several countries issuing statements recognising the continuing suffering of Tamil survivors and criticising the lack of meaningful accountability for wartime atrocities.

The TLHRC, which operates under the United States Congress to promote internationally recognised human rights, has previously examined Sri Lanka’s human rights record through hearings and briefings focused on wartime abuses, enforced disappearances, militarisation and accountability failures.

In recent years, the commission has heard testimony from human rights advocates, legal experts and civil society representatives regarding crimes committed during the final stages of the armed conflict, as well as ongoing concerns surrounding repression, surveillance and the failure of domestic accountability mechanisms.

International rights groups and Tamil victims’ organisations have repeatedly argued that successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to deliver truth, justice or meaningful reparations for those affected by wartime atrocities.