Sri Lanka is a tropical island located South of India in the Indian Ocean. Malaria has been prevalent in the island for centuries but the country succeeded in eliminating the disease in 2013. Factors governing the past endemicity of malaria and its successful elimination from Sri Lanka in 2013 are analyzed. There is evidence that malaria might have been first introduced in the thirteenth centur...

PURPOSE To identify the causes of blindness and severe visual impairment (BL/SVI) in children attending schools for the blind in Sri Lanka, and to provide optical devices and ophthalmic treatment where indicated. METHODS Two hundred and six children under 16 years from 13 schools for the blind in Sri Lanka were examined by a team of ophthalmologists and optometrists. Data were entered in the ...

Introduction Attempted or non-fatal self-poisoning is an important public health problem in Sri Lanka. Current evidence from Sri Lanka suggests that this phenomenon is more common among young people, and females, and is associated with a recent interpersonal conflict. International studies indicate that recent non-fatal selfharm is associated with an increased risk of repetition and completed s...

BACKGROUND In special circumstances, establishing public private partnerships for malaria elimination may achieve targets faster than the state sector acting by itself. Following the end of the separatist war in Sri Lanka in 2009, the Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC) of Sri Lanka intensified malaria surveillance jointly with a private sector partner, Tropical and Environmental Diseases and Health As...

Human indigenous cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani complex is endemic in Sri Lanka. We performed an entomological survey to determine the distribution of probable vector species. Sand flies were collected in districts in the dry zone, in the wet zone highlands, and in the wet zone coastal belt of Sri Lanka using CDC light traps, sticky traps and cattle-baited net traps durin...

• Sri Lanka does not cultivate opium. There is illicit cultivation of cannabis. Seizure figures demonstrate that the number of arrests and court cases have both increased in the recent past. • The single most significant drug problem is the trafficking of heroin from India for local consumption. • Sri Lanka serves as a transhipment hub for heroin trafficked into the country mainly from Indian l...

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean with an area about 65 610 km(2). The population of the country is around 20.2 million. Hazardous disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major concern particularly in the most urbanized areas of Sri Lanka. However, the current waste management system does not facilitate any waste pre-treatment techniques before final disposal. As a consequence, th...

The fact that yellow fever (YF) has never occurred in Asia remains an "unsolved mystery" in global health. Most countries in Asia with high Aedes aegypti mosquito density are considered "receptive" for YF transmission. Recently, health officials in Sri Lanka issued a public health alert on the potential spread of YF from a migrant group from West Africa. We performed an extensive review of lite...

BACKGROUND Snakebite is a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. In Sri Lanka, snakebite is mainly an occupational health hazard associated with farming. Understanding awareness and perceptions in risk populations on the preventive measures, first aid and treatment for snakebite becomes pivotal in designing snakebite prevention and control programs. Using an investi...

Background: There is paucity of measures to conduct epidemiological studies related to disasters in Sri Lanka. This study validates a Sinhalese translation of the Impact of Event Scale8 items version (IES-8) for use in Sri Lanka. Methods: This cross-sectional validation study was conducted in the densely populated rural area of Tangalle in the Southern province of Sri Lanka. The English version...