A total of 20 cases of malaria have been reported in Sri Lanka for 2020.
Sri Lanka reported its last case of malaria in 2012 and was certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a malaria-free nation in 2016.
The Acting Director of the Anti- Malaria Campaign in Sri Lanka Prasad Ranaweera told Newswire that 10 cases of malaria, mainly from returnees from overseas, were reported within the last 10- days, while a total of 10 cases were reported within the first 5 months of 2020.
“Malaria vector mosquitoes are common all over Sri Lanka. As a result, measures were taken for the prevention of the spread of malaria in line with the coronavirus outbreak in Sri Lanka”, Ranaweera said.
Attention was mainly focussed on quarantine centres which were set up mostly in remote areas, which serve as common habitats for malaria vector mosquitoes. Guidelines on the prevention of malaria were compiled in line with COVID-19 and on information received from the Military on the persons placed in quarantine centers.
Two patients, one each from Monaragala and Kalawana were the first two cases of malaria to be detected in the last 10- days. The two men who had returned from India in August 2019 were detected with malaria after a period of 10 months, he said.
Prasad Ranaweera added that the remaining 8 from the 10 cases reported within the last 10 days were detected from among Sri Lankans who had returned from overseas and placed in quarantine centres.
Among them, the first patient to be detected with malaria was identified as an individual who had returned from Madagascar and was placed in a quarantine centre in Matale.
Following this, the remaining persons undergoing quarantine were tested for malaria, with results detecting 4 more patients. The detected patients were admitted to an isolation ward at the Dambulla Hospital for treatment and were discharged yesterday (07).
The Acting Director of the Anti- Malaria Campaign in Sri Lanka said that tests are to be carried out on the remaining individuals in the quarantine center by the 14 or 15 of July.
He further said that 3 more foreign returnees who were placed at a quarantine centre in the Vaikal area in Negombo were detected with malaria, following the testing of almost 270 individuals at the center. The 3 patients have been admitted to the Negombo Hospital for treatment.
Prasad Ranaweera added that continuous tests are being done for the detection of malaria-infected patients, as the non- detection of a patient could lead to a local outbreak of malaria in the country. (Newswire)