Health experts warn the public to take precautions against the spreading Influenza A (H1N1) and other viral infections due to the hot weather, while engaging in New Year shopping and visiting crowded places during the festive season. The public can protect themselves by covering the mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue when coughing and sneezing and refraining from touching the eyes, nose or mouth, avoiding spitting in public, washing hands regularly with soap and water or clean hands with alcohol-based hand rubs, disposing used tissues/handkerchiefs carefully and washing used handkerchiefs carefully with germ killer soap/liquid etc before re-using.
Meanwhile, Epidemiology Unit sources said that a total of 30,486 dengue patients and around 60 deaths had been reported countrywide during the past three months. According to sources,the highest number of dengue patients(60,906) had been reported from the Colombo district. The second highest number of dengue patients(3,853) had been reported from the Gampaha district.
The Trincomalee district recorded 2,820 dengue patients and the Jaffna district 1,884 patients.
“Prompt medical treatment should be sought from a state hospital or a qualified doctor if anyone suffer from fever for more than two days. No drug other than Paracetamol should be used for fever to avoid complications such as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Dengue Shock Syndrome etc,” sources added.