The number of dengue cases rose by three hundred as the Health Ministry in collaboration with the Colombo Municipal Council and the Public Service Nurses

The civic authorities will meet realtors on Tuesday to alert them against water accumulation at construction sites that could turn breeding ground of mosquitoes.The meeting at the civic headquarters is part of a drive to control vector-borne diseases in Calcutta.

A dengue eradication house to house campaign in the Colombo city will be started on Sunday at the Colombo Municipal Council by a group comprising Municipal Council staff, United Nurses' Union and Police Community Service, Colombo Municipal Council Commissioner Badrani Jayawardena told the Daily News yesterday.

Over sixty eight deaths and 4,600 dengue cases were reported during the first five months. This was three hundred percent more than the number of dengue cases recorded within the same period last year.

The world's poorest nations are not prepared for the strain climate change will put on their public health systems, according to studies by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and partners.

While some local authourities said yesterday they were on alert to prevent the fast-spreading Swine Flu reaching Sri Lanka, some others stressed the need to fight diseases such as dengue which has already affected the Hambantota and Galle districts.

Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) authourities said they were carrying out tests on Pigs before they were slaughtered at the abattoir in Colombo.

Amidst continuing reports of rising dengue cases in the country, Sri Lanka is to present a new Dengue Breeding Act in the Parliament on May 5 in order to take tough action against such breeding places.

The act would empower the Health Ministry to take action against people whose negligence facilitates the breeding of the dengue mosquito.

Public Health Officials confirmed an outbreak of chikungunya and dengue in DJ Halli, revealing that a staggering 70 per cent of the residents in the area were affected by the vector-borne diseases.

Amongst the samples sent from the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Kaval Byrasandra, two tested positive for chikungunya and one for dengue.

The number of Dengue patients reported from Matara and Hambantota continues to increase, health authorities said.

The dreaded dengue fever which has killed six people and affected hundreds so far this year is fast spreading in the Southern Province compelling educational authorities to close down seven schools in the province, Health Services Director Dr. J.B. Senarath said.

He said the cases reported indicated a two fold increase when compared with the same period last year.