Sri Lanka will receive the WHO certification for eliminating Filaria on July 21 and it hopes to receive the WHO certification for eliminating Malaria by September, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. Addressing a press briefing at the Government Information Department Auditorium in Colombo yesterday, he said WHO Director General Dr.Margaret Chan is due in Sri Lanka on July 21 and the certification will be awarded during a WHO Regional conference in Colombo. According to Minister Senaratne, this is a significant achievement for Sri Lanka which has already eliminated several other diseases,such as, Polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough and Small Pox.
According to WHO criteria, Sri Lanka has eliminated Filariasis from the country. The WHO aims at eliminating Filariasis globally by 2020 and Sri Lanka has already achieved this target long before the set time.
The meaning of ‘ elimination’ is minimising the number of patients and possibility of spreading.
Information Source http://www.dailynews.lk 2016.07.16
