Dr. Risintha Premaratne was watching the evening news when he learned the Sri Lankan Navy had rescued a group of Burmese asylum-seekers from a sinking ship headed for Indonesia and Australia. Acting quickly, he picked up the phone and started to make the calls needed to ensure that by the time these passengers reached Sri Lanka’s shores, staff from the Anti Malaria Campaign, which he directed, were at a nearby hospital to screen them for malaria.
Premaratne, who is the director of research at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health and was the national coordinator for preparation for malaria-free certification, often references this story when he meets with representatives of other countries working toward the same goals. It shows how seriously his country treats the threat from the killer disease, he told Devex. By 2013, the year he made that phone call, Sri Lanka was down to zero cases of malaria, despite 25 years of civil war that coincided with its elimination effort.
So it was no wonder he wanted to act quickly to deal with any threat from a reintroduction of the disease. “Sri Lanka became a malaria-free country by eliminating the malaria parasites, not the vector,” Premaratne told Devex. “Increased travel to and from neighboring malarious countries resulting in cases of imported malaria, combined with the continued presence of malaria vector mosquitoes in formerly endemic areas in the country, make it both receptive and vulnerable for the reintroduction of malaria.”
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
