Rising Illness Linked to Unsafe Water Supply in Deniyaya

COLOMBO (News 1st); Water sources supplying Deniyaya town and several schools in the area have been identified as unsafe.

Southern Province Director of Health Services Dr. N.G.S. Panditharatne said a team of specialist doctors assigned to investigate the spreading disease had revealed this finding in their report.

So far, 50 patients infected with the suspected viral fever have been reported.

Due to the rapid spread of the illness among schoolchildren, four schools in the Deniyaya education zone have been closed. 

The affected schools are Deniyaya Central College, Deniyaya Rajapaksa Maha Vidyalaya, Deniyaya St. Matthew’s Bilingual College, and Pallegama Siddhartha College.

A special team from the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health has arrived in the area to further investigate the rapidly spreading fever.

At present, health authorities suspect that the patients may be suffering from meningitis.

Meningitis is a condition caused by infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Doctors warn that the disease can be extremely serious, and if not treated promptly, it may pose a risk to life or cause permanent damage to the nervous system.

Symptoms of meningitis include severe headache, high fever, stiffness of the neck, sensitivity to light, vomiting, nausea, and drowsiness or confusion.

The disease-causing organisms can spread mainly through coughing, sneezing, kissing, or by sharing items used by an infected person.

Health authorities say the condition can be prevented through vaccination, appropriate antibiotic treatment, and by maintaining proper hygiene.