Plagued By Dengue Fever, Sri Lanka Looks to the Weatherman

Schoolchildren hold up a handmade sign that reads: ‘Let’s Eradicate Dengue’. Credit: Amantha Perera/IPS

COLOMBO, Jun 30 2014 (IPS) - What’s the connection between weather forecasts and the mosquito-borne dengue virus? It’s not just a question for science nerds; in Sri Lanka, health officials believe answering this question could save lives.

By Amantha Perera

For over half a decade now, doctors and residents of this island nation, especially those living in the cramped Western Province, have been battling the persistent, sometimes deadly, dengue plague, which tends to follow the monsoon rains that drench the southwest coast from June to October.

Plagued by Dengue Fever, Sri Lanka Looks to the Weatherman by Maria Anderson