- Title: Australia helps Sri Lanka to control dengue fever after 250 die
- Date: 20th July 2017
- Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (JULY 19, 2017) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** VARIOUS OF AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JULIE BISHOP SIGNING VICTORS BOOK AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY VARIOUS OF BISHOP AND SRI LANKAN FOREIGN MINISTER RAVI KARUNANAYAKE SHAKING HANDS TWO MINISTERS AND DELEGATION MOVING OUT FOR OFFICIAL TALKS AUSTRALIAN DELEGATE SITTING EXCHANGE OF LETTERS TO ERADICATE DENGUE BETWEEN THE MONARCH UNIVERSITY AND SRI LANKAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH BISHOP AND KARUNANAYAKE STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JULIE BISHOP SAYING: "We have two announcements to make today. One is an investment in the World Health Organaisation, about 58 million rupees - five hundred thousand Australian dollars - to work with the World Health Organisation here in Sri Lanka to deal with the immediate crisis, the immediate impact." VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS SEATED AT EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER JULIE BISHOP SAYING: "So, Australia is contributing 116 million rupees, about a million Australian dollars to this longer term project which is using pioneering research. So, bringing together the magnificent research capabilities of the Monash University with your skilled medical and health practitioners we should make a significant difference to the lives of those here in Sri Lanka." END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 04:33
- Keywords: Australia helps Sri Lanka dengue fever WHO world health organisation crisis
- Location: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
- City: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QITTFP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Australia announced programs on Wednesday (July 19) to help control dengue fever in Sri Lanka, where the mosquito-borne disease killed around 250 people in the first half of this year.
A short-term program through the World Health Organization will try to reduce the transmission of the dengue virus, aiming for a reduction of more than 50 percent over a period of four to six weeks.
A longer-term program will use Wolbachia bacteria, a microbe that prevents the dengue virus from replicating inside the mosquitoes that carry it, to halt its transmission to people. Similar campaigns are under way in Brazil and Colombia to fight the spread of dengue and Zika viruses.
Both programs were announced by Julie Bishop, the Australian minister of foreign affairs, during a two-day visit to Colombo.
The Sri Lankan government is struggling to control the dengue virus, which causes flu-like symptoms and can develop into the deadly hemorrhagic dengue fever. Around 100,000 people have been infected, and the number of infected has accelerated since floods in mid-May. Some hospitals have run out of beds. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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