By Dinasena Ratugamage

A two-week dengue eradication programme has been declared in Jaffna following the rapid increase of dengue cases reported from the area.

The campaign will be launched on 25 September.

Jaffna regional Director of Health Services Dr. Arumugam Ketheeswaran said between 12 and 15 dengue cases were reported daily from Jaffna.

The number of cases was expected to increase in the coming months due to the monsoon rains, he said.

Dr. Ketheeswaran said that they had detected 1,836 cases of dengue in Jaffna from 01 January to 20 September making the district a leader in reported dengue cases.

A supervisory committee would be established to see if the dengue eradication program is implemented as planned, Ketheeswaran said.

“Usually, we see the highest cases from October to February. October is approaching, and we must take immediate action. We urge everyone to step up efforts to combat the menace,” he said.

Earlier, dengue experts warned that the current statistical trends indicated that the number of dengue patients this year could be as high as in 2017 when 186,101 local cases were reported.

Dr. Ketheeswaran said there had been a plateauing of cases during the past few months due to dry weather. But the cases were increasing due to rains.