News
New trend among some SL parents not to have infants vaccinated
By Rathindra Kuruwita
There is a trend among some Sri Lankan parents not to have their infants vaccinated and this could lead to disastrous consequences, officials from National Programme for Tuberculosis Control and Chest Diseases (NPTCCD) says.
In certain developed nations, some parents start vaccinating their children only after a year or so after they were born and Sri Lankan parents who find out about this on the Internet, had also started delaying vaccinations, the official said.
“Children from developed nations in North America and Europe are not exposed to the same level of communicable diseases as we do due to climatic and other factors. However, things are different in tropical countries and developing nations. Children, until they reach five, have very low immunity. They develop resistance to diseases after contracting them. When it comes to more serious diseases like tuberculosis, the question to consider is that do we give the children a vaccine or take the risk of letting them develop immunity by contracting the disease,” Dr. Mizaya Cader, team lead of the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Unit at the NPTCCD said.
Dr. Cader said that vaccination had been a main reason for Sri Lanka’s good health indicators and tuberculosis among Sri Lankan children was very low. Only about 215 children contracted tuberculosis in Sri Lanka per year, she said.
Dr. Cader said in comparable countries between 5 to 15 percent of tuberculosis patients were children, but the number was only three percent in Sri Lanka.
“Our successful vaccination drive may be the main reason for this low number,” she said.
In 2023, there were 9,538 reported cases of tuberculosis in Sri Lanka, and in 2022 only about 8,500. Dr. Cader said in many parts of the world the number of reported tuberculosis patients had increased.
She said that was due to distractions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The economic crisis which led to a drop in nutritional levels might also have led to a drop in people’s immunity. This might be leading to higher cases of tuberculosis. About 25 percent of tuberculosis patients we come across have a low Body mass index.”
Moreover, those with diabetes, kidney diseases, cancers, and others with conditions and behaviours that reduce immunity are also prone to tuberculosis, she said.
Director of the NPTCCD, Dr. Pramitha Shanthilatha Rathnayake said that in 2022 there had been only about 8,500 cases,. The reported number for 2023 was close to the numbers detected in 2015, she added.
Consultant Respiratory Physician Dr. Neranjan Dissanayake, said that it was extremely important for people to know that they have tuberculosis and seek treatment. A tuberculosis patient who does not seek treatment, could at least spread the diseases among 12 people a year, on average, he said.
“Even when you take meds, you can spread it to others for about six weeks from the day you start taking the medicines. As long as you don’t take medicine, you will keep on spreading the diseases to others. Also, without treatment, 70 percent of people with tuberculosis in the lungs will die within two years.”
Dr. Dissanayake said there were about four main drugs used to treat tuberculosis. During the first two months, a patient is given all four drugs. In some countries there are variants that are resistant to these drugs.
However, luckily there are only a very limited number of cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis here, Dr. Dissanayake added. “These drugs are mild and even pregnant women can take them.”
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
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