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Item Breeding sites of Phlebotomine sand flies in cutaneous leishmaniasis disease endemic areas of the Kurunegala District in Sri Lanka(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wijerathna, T.; Gunathilaka, N.; Gunawardena, K.; Rodrigo, W.Leishmaniasis is a disease transmitted by the bite of infected female sand flies. Disease control largely depends on the knowledge on natural breeding sites of sand flies. In Sri Lanka, only limited information is available on microhabitats of immature sand flies. Therefore, the present study was conducted to identify natural breeding habitats of sand flies in three cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic areas, namely; Galgamuwa, Polpithigama and Maho in the Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka. Study areas were selected based on the number of patients reported to respective Medical Officer of Health (MOH) during the year 2013 - 2016. A preliminary survey was conducted in April 2017 and possible breeding sites were identified for the survey based on field investigations and previous literature. A breeding habitat checklist was prepared for main habitat categories. Field investigations for immature stages were conducted on a monthly basis from May 2017 - June 2018. Three soil samples were collected randomly from each potential breeding habitat and transported to the laboratory. The soil samples were divided into equal portions, and immature stages of sand flies in one portion were screened by direct microscopic examination and sugar flotation method. The rest of the soil samples were incubated at 260C and 75-80% Relative Humidity (RH) under confined laboratory conditions for adult emergence. Adult sand flies were identified using morphological identification keys. A total of 433 potential breeding sites were surveyed under 21 habitat categories. Of them, soil mounds were predominant (n=51) followed by leaf litter (n=46), termite hills (n=42) and tank/river margins (n=36). However, only four habitat types were positive for immature stages of Phlebotomus argentipes, namely; paddy fields (n=5/10), moist soil in dried tanks (n=2/12), soil beneath decaying organic matter (n=2/7) and cattle huts (n=1/23). All positive sites were enriched with organic matter containing moderate moisture levels. However, further studies are required to understand the physiochemical parameters of breeding sites and by that minimize the sand fly population through management of habitat conditions.Item Comprehensive evaluation of demographic,socio-economic and other associated risk factors affecting the occurrence of dengue incidence among Colombo and Kandy Districts of Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study(Parasites & Vectors (2018) 11:478, 2018) Udayanga, L.; Gunathilaka, N.; Iqbal, M.C.M.; Lakmal, K.; Amarasinghe, U.S.; Abeyewickreme, W.Background: Comprehensive understanding of risk factors related to socio-economic and demographic status and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of local communities play a key role in the design and implementation of community-based vector management programmes, along with the identification of gaps in existing control activities. Methods: A total of 10 Medical Officers of Health (MOH) areas recording high dengue incidence over the last five years were selected from Colombo (n = 5) and Kandy (n = 5) Districts, Sri Lanka. From each MOH area, 200 houses reporting past dengue incidence were selected randomly as test group (n = 1000 for each district) based on the dengue case records available at relevant MOH offices. Information on socio-economic and demographic status and knowledge, attitudes and practices were gathered using an interviewer administered questionnaire. The control group contained 200 households from each MOH area that had not reported any dengue case and the same questionnaire was used for the assessment (n = 1000 for each district). Statistical comparisons between the test and control groups were carried out using the Chi-square test of independence, cluster analysis, analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. Results: Significant differences among the test and control groups in terms of basic demographic and socio-economic factors, living standards, knowledge, attitude and practices, were recognized (P < 0.05 at 95% level of confidence). The test group indicated similar risk factors, while the control group also shared more or less similar characteristics as depicted by the findings of cluster analysis and ANOSIM. Findings of the present study highlight the importance of further improvement in community education, motivation and communication gaps, proper coordination and integration of control programmes with relevant entities. Key infrastructural risk factors such as urbanization and waste collection, should be further improved, while vector controlling entities should focus more on the actual conditions represented by the public on knowledge, attitudes and personal protective practices. Conclusions: The design of flexible and community friendly intervention programmes to ensure the efficacy and sustainability of controlling dengue vectors through community based integrated vector management strategies, is recommended.