The Health Ministry has provided mosquito nets to residents in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts where Chikungunya, Malaria and Dengue are prevalent. Health sector sources state that the mosquito population is on the increase due to global warming and monsoon rains. A number of people affected by Chikungunya and Malaria have been reported from these areas. Over 15,463 dengue patients were reported in 2004 with 88 deaths reported while 28 deaths were reported in 2005.

Indonesia Says To Launch Bird Flu Pandemic Plan INDONESIA: April 15, 2008 JAKARTA - Indonesia, which has the highest death toll from bird flu of any country, will launch a plan later this week to deal with a possible influenza pandemic, officials said on Monday. Heru Setijanto, head of surveillance and monitoring at the national commission for bird flu control, said the plan would be followed up a week later by a three-day pandemic simulation involving several villages on the resort island of Bali.

A NATIONAL campaign to combat obesity by using sports equipment to reward children who exercise for at least an hour a day will be discussed this week when state and federal education ministers meet in Melbourne. Under the plan, which is being introduced in the ACT this year, all schools would be invited to participate in a 10-week competition, with equipment given to children who successfully meet the challenge.

>> Governments of Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have announced a joint health programme to tackle a meningitis epidemic, which has gripped the bordering area of the two countries. By the second week

TB control plan being accelerated FOZIA AZAM ISLAMABAD - The Ministry of Health has accelerated tuberculoses (TB) control programme with an overwhelming assistance of the foreign donors, including the World Health Organisation, which has contributed almost three quarters of the overall project cost of Rs 6 billion.

Vaccination importance highlighted KARACHI, April 8 (APP) - Eradication of small pox and the marked decrease in cases of diphtheria, whooping cough, and polio are testimony to the role vaccines have played in preventing life-threatening illnesses. This was stated by Secretary-General Pakistan Pediatric Association Dr. M.A. Arif, at a forum to discuss importance and value of vaccination as a preventive measure against diseases, safeguarding the future of children in Pakistan.