MONTHLY REPORT ON DENGUE

ENTOMOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE
A publication of the National Dengue Control Unit
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
Vol.02 Issue No 05

Role of Entomological surveillance in

Dengue Control
Dengue fever (DF)/ Dengue Haemorrhagic fever
(DHF) is a mosquito borne viral disease which is
endemic in Sri Lanka. Entomology is defined as the
scientific study of insects, a branch of Zoology.
Entomological surveillance is a scientific process to
understand the dynamics of the disease transmitting
vector.
Dengue is transmitted by female mosquitoes of
Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus
(Skuse). A.aegypti is the primary and the epidemic
causing vector of DF/DHF and it is a highly
domesticated and anthropophilic very efficient
vector mosquito while Aedes albopictus is the
secondary vector that is important in maintaining an
epidemic. The life cycle of the Aedes mosquito is as
follows (Fig 1.):

Fig 1- Life cycle of dengue mosquito

May 2015
feeding and resting habits (vector bionomics/
behaviour), and effectiveness of vector control to
collect data for early warning and forecasting
dengue outbreaks / epidemics.
Dengue vector surveillance is carried out both at
sentinel sites, routine surveillance areas and spots
(spot checks).
Commonly used vector surveillance methods are
larval surveys (both larvae and pupae). Here, the
basic sampling unit is the house or premise. During
the survey, all potential dengue vector breeding
sites that are prevalent in and around the selected
houses/ premises should be examined for Aedes
larvae.
Once identification is completed, larval density
indices are calculated for A.aegypti and A.
albopictus separately, and combine for Aedes
aegypti and A.albopictus, in order to give the vector
density in the area. The indices, namely, Container
index (CI), House/premise index (HI) and Breteau
index (BI) are used to give the vector density.
High container index of a particular type of
containers indicates the importance of that
container type as a dengue vector breeding site and
the vector control interventions need to be directed
to eliminate such types of containers immediately.
Cut-off points of larval density indices, container
types and the most productive container types also
need to be considered in dengue prevention and
control. In Sri Lanka, HI and BI (A.aegypti) >3 is
an indication for dengue transmission and
application of appropriate dengue vector
prevention/ control interventions.
Appropriate utilization of entomology surveillance
data would be helpful in successful control of
dengue by implementing targeted interventions.

Life cycle consists of water stages i.e. eggs, pupa

and larvae and non-water stages i.e. adult mosquito.
Based on existing evidence, control of water stages
of the life cycle is cost effective. Therefore under
entomology surveillance more emphasis is given
for studying of water stages of life cycle of the
mosquito.
The objectives of vector surveillance are to
determine breeding sites, temporal and spatial
distribution, interventions that are used for dengue
vector control seasonal population fluctuations,
Compiled by :Dr.Sinha De Silva
Contents

1. Role of Entomological surveillance in Dengue Control

2. Island wide Entomological Surveillance Summary -2014 April
3. Entomological Forecast
National Dengue Control Unit-Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
Public Health Complex, 555/5, Elvitigala Mawatha, Narahenpita, Colombo 05.
Tel : +94(0)112368416 / 7 Fax: +94(0)11 2369893 Email: ndcu2010@yahoo.com
Web : http://www.dengue.health.gov.lk

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MRDES Sri Lanka - Vol.02 Issue No 05

May 2015

Table 1: Dengue Entomological Surveillance - 2015 April Summary

Monaragala
Badulla
Matale
NuwaraEliya
Kandy
Batticaloa
Kalmunai
Trincomalee
Ampara
Anuradhapura

NCP

Polonnaruwa
Kegalle

SGP

Rathnapura
Galle
SP

Matara
Hambantota
Jaffna
Mannar

NP

1%
0%
0%
0%
6%
0%
0%
9%
41%
*
17%
6%
27%
0%
17%
5%
15%
5%
4%
9%
3%
3%
17%
0%

1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
11%
0%
*
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%

3%
0%
9%
11%
0%
13%
0%
3%
0%
*
2%
5%
0%
29%
0%
1%
0%
10%
8%
23%
3%
0%
0%
0%

0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
3%
7%
*
8%
4%
0%
0%
0%
0%
5%
4%
4%
0%
5%
5%
0%
0%

14%
0%
1%
2%
8%
3%
1%
2%
4%
*
0%
0%
5%
0%
0%
18%
30%
1%
0%
4%
8%
7%
6%
1%

0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
*
0%
8%
5%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%

33%
88%
41%
19%
20%
19%
18%
23%
15%
*
29%
28%
5%
0%
0%
23%
5%
16%
24%
5%
18%
47%
0%
4%

Killinochchi

418
802
439
22,192

21
31
58
1,728

5.02
3.87
13.21
7.79

14%
43%
21%
38%

0%
27%
24%
18%

0%
7%
17%
5%

0%
0%
0%
0%

0%
0%
0%
5%

0%
0%
0%
2%

0%
10%
0%
4%

0%
0%
0%
0%

86%
13%
38%
28%

Vavuniya
Mullativu
Sri Lanka

P&O

13%
3%
18%
7%
33%
11%
15%
14%
0%
*
17%
35%
16%
14%
67%
1%
15%
17%
11%
9%
10%
10%
12%
88%

A/C & R

35%
9%
31%
61%
33%
54%
66%
35%
33%
*
27%
14%
42%
57%
16%
52%
30%
47%
49%
50%
53%
28%
65%
7%

Discarded
receptacles

11.98
6.67
20.33
9.96
2.94
15.33
6.39
8.11
5.74
*
4.95
5.19
1.63
2.58
2.00
11.08
8.44
14.38
7.32
8.98
11.00
5.69
7.00
14.11

%
Positive

165
15
124
181
41
23
194
52
50
*
67
108
14
4
6
72
13
145
88
15
33
53
21
134

Found
positive

Others

Puttalam

EP

Wells

Kurunegala

CP

Natural

Kalutara

UP

Concrete slab

Gampaha

NWP

Cement tanks

Colombo MC

WP

Water storage
containers

Colombo

Percentage Positivity by type of containers

1,377
225
610
1,817
1,393
150
3,037
641
871
*
1,354
2,080
860
155
300
650
154
1,008
1,202
167
300
932
300
950

Inspected

District

Province

No. of Premises

Key: This report is based on the weekly returns sent by Entomological Assistants (EAA) to N DCU. P & O- Ponds and Ornamentals; R
Refrigerators ; * No data ; Others- Tyres, Roof gutters and other miscellaneous places (eg. Tube wells, Earth pipes, Water meters, etc)

NB:
Entomological
surveillance data for the
month of April 2015
done
by
MRI
entomology teams has
not received

Entomological Forecast of High-Risk Areas

RDHS

MO(O)H

Colombo
Kaluthara
Rathnapura
Gampaha
Badulla
Matara
Kandy
Kegalle
Batticaloa
Kurunegala

Kolonnawa,Moratuwa, Maharagama, Homagama

Horana, Aluthgama
Rathnapura Ps, Kuruwita
Katana, Divulapitiya
Badulla MC
Malimbada
Akurana
Yatiyanthoya, Galigamuwa
Batticaloa
MC Kurunegala

Director,

Address:

National Dengue Control Unit,

Public Health Complex,
555/5, Elvitigala Mawatha,
Colombo 05.
Comments and contributions for publication in the MRDES Sri Lanka are welcome. Prior approval should be obtained from the NDCU before
publishing data in this publication.