COLOMBO, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- A two-day national anti-dengue program kicked off in Sri Lanka on Thursday to curb the spread of the mosquito borne disease, which has so far killed two people and affected over 3,700 people in January, Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the program will be conducted in the high risked areas which includes capital Colombo, Gampaha which is located in the outskirts of Colombo, Kalutara in the south and Jaffna in the north.
Over 650 teams will take part in the two day program, the ministry said.
The program is organized by the Presidential Task Force, National Dengue Control Unit and the Health Ministry.
Special attention will be paid to construction sites, school and religious institutions.
The Health Ministry requested the public to allocate at least 30 minutes per week to destroy any mosquito breeding sites found in their premises.
Two people have died and over 3,700 affected by the dengue virus across Sri Lanka within the first three weeks of January, the Epidemiology Unit said here last week.
Medical experts urged people to seek immediate medical attention if they suffered from high fever, uncontrolled vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness and reduced urinary.
Last year, more than 50 people died and over 48,000 affected by the dengue virus with the National Dengue Control Unit launching several programs to eradicate dengue's breeding grounds in several districts of the island country.
