The 1906 malaria outbreak in Ceylon, was a major

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

outbreak in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

during the early twentieth century. The first cases were reported in the early 1900s but not officially recorded until 1906.

Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

has been prevalent on the island since the 3rd century B.C. Malaria is caused by single-cell microorganisms of ''

Plasmodium ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vert ...

'' group. This disease is commonly spread by the female '' Anopheles'' mosquito. Most ''Anopheles'' mosquito species are native in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. There are four main mosquito species on the island including: ''

Anopheles culicifacies ''Anopheles culicifacies'' is a mosquito species complex and one of the major vectors of malaria on the Indian subcontinent. It consists of five sibling species, provisionally designated as species A, B, C, D, and E. It prefers to rest indoors ...

'', ''

Anopheles subpictus ''Anopheles (Cellia) subpictus'' is a species complex of four species (A, B, C and D) of mosquito belonging to the genus ''Anopheles''. Subgenus classification The genus ''Anopheles'' has been subdivided into seven subgenera – ''Anopheles'', ...

'', ''

Anopheles annularis ''Anopheles annularis'' is a species of mosquito belonging to the genus ''Anopheles''. Larvae found in clean, lotic bodies of water with abundant vegetation. Females are zoophilic, mainly feed blood on cattle and humans. The species is a major ma ...

'' and '' Anopheles varuna''. __TOC__

History

In pre-colony era there no written records of malaria-related cases in Sri Lanka. Early 13th century small details founded Polonnaruwa Kingdom (1056–1236) as recorded by

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monks write in the chronicle Mahavams. There was no such record of malaria-related cases

Anuradhapura Kingdom The Anuradhapura Kingdom (Sinhala language, Sinhala: , translit: Anurādhapura Rājadhāniya, Tamil language, Tamil: ), named for Anuradhapura, its capital city, was the first established monarchy, kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka related to the ...

(377 BC–1017 AD) period but an unclear illness report found from Anuradhapura era written stone inscriptions in Sri Lanka. It never recognizes malaria-related illness. Under the Dutch colony period

Dutch Ceylon Dutch Ceylon ( Sinhala: Tamil: ) was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. Although the Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, they were never able to control the Kandyan ...

(1640–1796) located Southern Province (exclude Hambanthota district) in the wet zone reported unknown disease spread. It is called ''kale una'' or ''forest fever''. Because most illness reported near forest areas. First official record found in British Colonial period (1796–1948) malaria spread rapidly reaching a major epidemic in 1934 to 1935. It is called "''The Great Malaria Epidemic''". During that time estimated five million people infected with disease and approximately 80,000 people died.

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

launch project called Anti-Malaria campaign. It started in 1911 but effected in 1934. First Campaign launch located in Kurunagala District. British Ceylon honored first country has been free from malaria since the 1940s. 70 years no one cases reported in Sri Lanka.

References

1906 in Ceylon 1906 disease outbreaks Disease outbreaks in Sri Lanka Malaria {{SriLanka-stub