Resurgence of measles virus infection in an eliminated country, Sri Lanka

Objective:To describe the situation of measles in Sri Lanka from May to November,2023 and to define the role of virology laboratory towards case confirmation and epidemiological and genetic characterization of the outbreak.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed all samples tested for measles from 1st of May to 30th of November,2023 at National Measles Rubella Laboratory,Sri Lanka.According to the World Health Organization(WHO)algorithm,serum and oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs were tested with WHO recommended kits for anti-measles IgM and measles virus specific RNA,respectively.Selected RNA positive samples were sequenced at reference laboratory,India.Analysis of sequencing data and construction of phylogenetic tree were carried out at National Measles Rubella Laboratory.Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:Of the total 1132 serum samples and 497 oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal swabs from 1326 patients,657(49.5%)patients were confirmed as measles by anti-measles IgM,measles virus specific RNA or both.Males(55.6%,n=365)and the age group from>20 to≤30 years(33.0%,n=217)predominated positive patients.All provinces reported measles positive cases.All samples sequenced(100%,n=42)were genotype D8 with 95.2%(n=40)bearing Victoria.Australia origin.Conclusions:We described resurgence of measles in an eliminated country,confirming the genotype to be D8,one of the two genotypes currently circulating globally.Further,the study strongly convinced the importance of a strengthened virological surveillance system in an eliminated country,despite its eliminated status.

Gemological-Mineralogical Characteristic of Spinels from Sri Lanka

Detailed mineralogical and gemological records were conducted on 340 unheated spinels from the Horana, Eheliyagoda, Ratnapura, and Okkampatiya mining areas in Sri Lanka. The color of Sri Lankan spinel varies greatly: in addition to the mainstream pink to purple pink, green and blue can also be seen. Compared with spinel from other regions such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Tanzania, Sri Lanka's spinel has more abundant inclusions: several mining areas generally have inclusions such as dolomite, apatite, zircon, and chondrodite. Minerals such as graphite and forsterite are also found in spinel produced in the Horana region;graphite and rutile have been found in spinel produced in the Okkamptiya region. Partially healed fissures are most common in spinel in the Okkampatiya mining area;Unlike Vietnamese spinel, dislocations and growth structures are almost absent in Sri Lankan spinel. The LA-ICP-MS analysis results showed that there were no significant differences among the mining areas. LA-ICP-MS analysis of 5 Sri Lankan cobalt blue spinels showed a variation of 11 to 120 ppm in this chromogenic element. The UV visible absorption spectrum results show that Sri Lankan spinel has a combination spectra with variable ratios of the spectral components Cr 3+ , V 3+ and Fe 2+ from pink to red, orange, purple to purple, and blue-green. The results of infrared spectroscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy analysis showed that all samples showed no indications for heat treatment.

Essential oil content and composition of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) in Sri Lanka

Santalum album （Indian Sandalwood） is found in the mountainous regions of the intermediate zone of Sri Lanka. Few studies have been conducted on sandalwood ecology in this region, and ours is the first recorded study of essential oil content and chemical composition of heartwood. We harvested two trees with State permission and took cross-sections for analysis. We demonstrated a difference in the heartwood formation and oil yield of the trees. The composition of the oil was found to be consistent between trees and along the trunk of the tree. Main aromatic compounds were santalols and other compounds are recorded in lesser quantities. Results of this study comply with the other published work on sandalwood elsewhere. This initial study on S. album in Sri Lanka provided promising results for the future of sandalwood agroforestry.

An approach to delineate groundwater recharge potential sites in Ambalantota,Sri Lanka using GIS techniques

The demand for fresh water in Hambantota District, Sri Lanka is rapidly increasing with the enormous amount of ongoing development projects in the region. Nevertheless, the district experiences periodic water stress conditions due to seasonal precipitation patterns and scarcity of surface water resources.Therefore, management of available groundwater resources is critical, to fulfil potable water requirements in the area. However, exploitation of groundwater should be carried out together with artificial recharging in order to maintain the long term sustainability of water resources. In this study, a GIS approach was used to delineate potential artificial recharge sites in Ambalantota area within Hambantota. Influential thematic layers such as rainfall, lineament, slope, drainage, land use/land cover, lithology, geomorphology and soil characteristics were integrated by using a weighted linear combination method. Results of the study reveal high to moderate groundwater recharge potential in approximately 49% of Ambalantota area.

Evaluation of PCR-ELISA as a tool for monitoring transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti in District of Gampaha,Sri Lanka

Objective:To compare Wuchereria bancrofti(W.bancrofti)infection rates of Culex quinquefasciatus,using dissection and PCR-EUSA in two consecutive time periods(from 2007to 2008 and from 2008 to 2009).Methods:Mosquitoes were collected in 30 sentinel and 15 nonsentinel sites in 15 Medical Officer of Health areas of Gampaha District known for the presence of W.bancrofti transmission in two consecutive time period of 2007 to 2008 and 2008 to 2009.Captured mosquitoes were dissected to determine the W.bancrofti larvae(L_1 L_2,L_3,).PCR was carried out using DNA extracted from mosquito pools(15 body parts/pool)utilizing the primers specific for Wb-Sspl repeat.PCR products were analyzed by hybridization ELISA using fluorescein-labeled wild type specific probes.The prevalence of infected/infective mosquiloes in PCR pools(3 pools/site)was estimated using the PoolSereen^(TM)algorithm and a novel probability—based method.Results:Of 45 batches of mosquitoes dissected,W.bancrofti infected mosquitoes were found in19 and 13 batches,with an infection rate of 13.29%and 3.10%with mean larval density of 8.7 and1.0 larvae per mosquito for two study periods in the Gampaha District.Total of 405 pools of head,thorax and abdomen were processed by PCR-EUSA for each year.Of these,51 and 31 pools were positive for W.bancrofti in the two study periods respectively.The association of dissection based prevalence rates with PCR based rates as determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient were0.176 and 0.890 respectively for the two periods.Conclusions:Data indicate that PCR-EUSA is more sensitive than the traditional dissection techniques for monitoring transmission intensity.

New constraints on the P-T path of HT/UHT metapelites from the Highland Complex of Sri Lanka

We report here rare evidence for the early prograde P-Tevolution of garnet-sillimanite-graphite gneiss(khondalite)from the central Highland Complex,Sri Lanka.Four types of garnet porphyroblasts(Grt_1,Grt_2,Grt_3 and Grt_4)are observed in the rock with specific types of inclusion features.Only Grt_3 shows evidence for non-coaxial strain.Combining the information shows a sequence of main inclusion phases,from old to young:oriented quartz inclusions at core,staurolite and prismatic sillimanite at mantle,kyanite and kyanite pseudomorph,and biotite at rim in Grt_1;fibrolitic sillimanite pseudomorphing kyanite±corundum,kyanite,and spinel+sillimanite after garnet+corundum in Grt_2;biotite,sillimanite,quartz±spinel in Grt_3;and ilmenite,rulite,quartz and sillimanite in Grt_4.The pre-melting,original rock composition was calculated through stepwise re-integration of melt into the residual,XRF based composition,allowing the early prograde metamorphic evolution to be deduced from petrographical observations and pseudosections.The earliest recognizable stage occurred in the sillimanite field at around 575℃ at 4.5 kbar.Subsequent collision associated with Gondwana amalgamation led to crustal thickening along a P-T trajectory with an average dP/dT of ~30 bar/℃ in the kyanite field,up to ~660℃ at 6.5 kbar,before crossing the wet-solidus at around 675 ℃ at 7.5 kbar.The highest pressure occurred at P > 10 kbar and T around 780℃ before prograde decompression associated with further heating.At 825℃ and 10.5 kbar,the rock re-entered into the sillimanite field.The temperature peaked at 900℃ at ca.9-9.5 kbar.Subsequent near-isobaric cooling led to the growth of Grt_4 and rutile at T ~880℃.Local pyrophyllite rims around sillimanite suggest a late stage of rehydration at T<400℃,which probably occurred after uplift to upper crustal levels.U-Pb dating of zircons by LAICPMS of the khondalite yielded two concordant ^(206)Pb/^(238)U age groups with mean values of 542±2 Ma(MSWD=0.24,Th/U=0.01-0.03)and 514±3 Ma(MSWD=0.50,Th/U=0.01-0.05)interpreted as peak metamorphism of the khondalite and subsequent melt crystallization during cooling.

Distinct metamorphic evolution of alternating silica-saturated and silica-deficient microdomains within garnet in ultrahigh-temperature granulites: An example from Sri Lanka

Here we report the occurrence of garnet porphyroblasts that have overgrown alternating silica-saturated and silica deficient microdomains via different mineral reactions. The samples were collected from ultrahigh-temperature(UHT) metapelites in the Highland Complex, Sri Lanka. In some of the metapelites, garnet crystals have cores formed via a dehydration reaction, which had taken place at silicasaturated microdomains and mantle to rim areas formed via a dehydration reaction at silica-deficient microdomains. In contrast, some other garnets in the same rock cores had formed via a dehydration reaction which occurred at silica-deficient microdomains while mantle to rim areas formed via a dehydration reaction at silica-saturated microdomains. Based on the textural observations, we conclude that the studied garnets have grown across different effective bulk compositional microdomains during the prograde evolution. These microdomains could represent heterogeneous compositional layers(paleobedding/laminations) in the precursor sediments or differentiated crenulation cleavages that existed during prograde metamorphism. UHT metamorphism associated with strong ductile deformation, metamorphic differentiation and crystallization of locally produced melt may have obliterated the evidence for such microdomains in the matrix. The lack of significant compositional zoning in garnet probably due to self-diffusion during UHT metamorphism had left mineral inclusions as the sole evidence for earlier microdomains with contrasting chemistry.

Giant Asian honeybee or Bambara stings causing myocardial infarction,bowel gangrene and fatal anaphylaxis in Sri Lanka:a case series

The sting of Giant Asian honeybee(Apis dorsata) or Bambara in Sinhala and Kanmge Kulavi in Tamil is a common environmental hazard in Sri Lanka known to cause immediate allergic reactions,which could be fatal in sensitized individuals.We reported myocardial infarction, bowel gangrene and fatal anaphylaxis in a prospectively proven case series and the association of these uncommon complications with delayed removal of stingers from the patients’skin.

Etiological agents causing leptospirosis in Sri Lanka:A review

Objective:To systematically review the etiological agent causing human leptospirosis in Sri Lanka.Methods:Published ailicles on leptospirosis and Leptospira in Sri Lanka were all reviewed to determine serovar,strain and species level indentification of Leptospira.After screening process.74 full text articles/reports were reviewed and among of them.12 published papers describing isolation of Leptospira from Sri Lankan patients/animals.5 molecular epidemiology papers on newer typing methods citing Sri Lanka isolates,with a descriptions of the isolates and 6 published papers reporting PCR based species level identification were identified.Results:Published literature showed that more than 40 strains classified under at least 20 serovars and 10 serogroups have been isolated from Sri Lanka.These isolates belong to four species,namely.Leptospira interrogans,Leptospira kirscluneri.Leptospira borgpetersenii,and Leptospira sanlarosai.In addition.recent studies on direct patient samples without culture and isolation showed Leptospira from Leptospira weilli is also circulating in Sri Lanka.Mulli locus sequence typing showed L3 genotypes of Leptospira from Sri Lankan isolates.Conclusions:This review shows the diversity of Leptospira in Sri Lanka,but culture isolation data has not been published in Sri Lanka during last 30 years.

Manifestations and outcomes of leptospirosis during local outbreaks in high endemic districts of Sri Lanka: A retrospective multi-center study

Objective:To determine the clinical presentations and disease outcomes of suspected and confirmed cases of leptospirosis from 3 high endemic districts of Sri Lanka,during outbreaks reported between 2013 and 2017.Methods:The retrospective multi-center study was carried out during 2013-2017 in 5 selected hospitals representing 3 high endemic districts in Sri Lanka.Clinically suspected leptospirosis patients were recruited according to the Communicable Disease Epidemiology Profile Sri Lanka,WHO.Leptospirosis was confirmed by either single microscopic agglutination test titre 1:400 or by positive polymerase chain reaction(PCR)test result.Results:Out of 372 clinically suspected cases,29.00%were confirmed as leptospirosis cases by either microscopic agglutination test(50.00%)or positive polymerase chain reaction(52.77%)and 12.90%were presumptively identified as leptospirosis.Clinical symptoms(headache,vomiting,jaundice and dyspnoea)and variations in haematological parameters(haemoglobin,platelet count)and biochemical parameters(serum creatinine,serum urea,serum bilirubin and C-reactive protein)were associated with confirmed leptospirosis(P<0.05).Acute kidney injury,meningitis,myocarditis,pulmonary haemorrhage and acute liver failure was seen among 21.30%,12.04%,6.48%,6.48%,5.56%,respectively with 4.63%fatality among the leptospirosis confirmed patients.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the case definition of Ministry of Health,Sri Lanka were 96.29%,9.09%,31.13%and 85.71%,respectively,when benchmarked against either positive polymerase chain reaction or microscopic agglutination test as the gold standard.Conclusions:Acute kidney injury is the predominant complication observed among the leptospirosis confirmed patients.However,pulmonary haemorrhage is predominantly associated with mortality.The case definition of Ministry of Health,Sri Lanka is found to have higher sensitivity and enabled the screening of all probable cases of leptospirosis.

The role of R&D and economic policy uncertainty in Sri Lanka’s economic growth

In this paper,we assess the role of investment in research and development(R&D)and economic policy uncertainty(EPU)in Sri Lanka’s economic growth experience.We do this by first determining which endogenous growth theories best explain the evolution of total factor productivity(TFP)in the country.Using historical time series data(1980–2018),we find that semi-endogenous growth theories best explain the evolution of TFP in Sri Lanka.This evidence suggests that R&D is critical to the country’s TFP expansion.We find that,through R&D,EPU has a crucial detrimental impact on TFP growth,although it is short-lived.Our findings are robust and have important implications for R&D investment and for moderating EPU.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Wave Energy Resources in Sri Lankan Waters over the Past 30 Years

For the survival and development of‘One Belt,One Road’,the present work aimed to evaluate the current situation of wave energy resources around Sri Lankan(SL)waters.Thirty-year ERA-Interim wind data were used to drive the third-generation wave model WAVEWATCH-III,and the seasonal and regional distribution characteristics of wave energy resources in SL waters were analyzed.Furthermore,the optimal season and region that contribute most to wave power in the study area were determined.On the basis of 30-year hindcast wave data,the significant wave height and wave power density,the occurrence of available SWH and rich WPD,the effective storage of wave energy,and the contribution and stability of wave energy were also analyzed.Results show that extremely optimistic wave energy resources are found at the western,southern,and southeastern waters of SL;moreover,the period of June,July,August(JJA)has great advantages in terms of the overall level of WPD,wave energy effective storage,and the contribution rate of wave energy.In addition,the wave energy during JJA is more stable than that of other periods and thus is benefi-cial to the transformation and development of wave energy.This study also provides important guiding value for disaster prevention and reduction,coastal zone management,and coastal development in the crucial region of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Intraseasonal oscillation of the southwest monsoon over Sri Lanka and evaluation of its subseasonal forecast skill

Sri Lanka,a small island country located near the southernmost end of the Indian subcontinent,is controlled by the southwest monsoon(SWM)during May to September,when it suffers the most accumulated rainfall in a year.Compared with extensive studies on the intraseasonal oscillation(ISO)of the Indian monsoon,less attention has been paid to the ISO of the SWM over Sri Lanka.Based on observational data,this study reveals that the leading mode of SWM rainfall shows a significant variability on a 10-35-day time scale,and it accounts for 66%of the fractional variance.The development of the intraseasonal rainfall anomaly is associated with a westward propagating anomalous cyclonic circulation.Furthermore,the skill of current dynamic models in simulating the SWM on the subseasonal time scale was evaluated by using the ECMWF(European center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)reforecast data from S2S(the Subseasonal to Seasonal Prediction project).In general,the model is more skillful in predicting the monsoonal wind index than the monsoonal rainfall index,with the skill for the former being beyond 30 days and the latter about two weeks.The forecast skills exhibit prominent interannual differences for both indices.It is suggested that a correct simulation of the large-scale circulation response to tropical convection is crucial for the subseasonal prediction of monsoonal rainfall over Sri Lanka.

Globalisation and Construction of Local Culture in Rural Sri Lanka

Globalisation refers to a complex process of increasing interdependence, integration, and interaction among individuals, societies, cultures, and institutions around the world in the spheres of economy, culture, knowledge, technology, and politics. The impacts of globalisation especially during the last few centuries have been spread throughout the globe. Although, the implications of globalisation on the economies and international relations have been discussed widely, its impacts on the society and culture especially in the context of rural Sri Lanka have not been studied and analysed adequately. Therefore, this paper has examined the factors that have been contributed to the construction of local culture in the rural Sri Lankan society. The qualitative analysis has included theoretical explanation to the glohalisation and culture which has followed with a review of literatures on the recent studies on impacts of globalisation on the local culture in the rural Sri Lankan society. The paper concludes that there are significant influences from the globalisation process to construct the local culture of rural Sri Lanka.

Repeat OGTT at 34 - 36 Weeks to Detect the Late Occurrence of GDM: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study Conducted at the Professorial Unit, Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Aim: Evaluation of the occurrence of glucose intolerance after 34 - 36 weeks in pregnant mothers attending the Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya. Materials & Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out from October 2017 to March 2018 among 183 pregnant mothers attending antenatal clinic at Teaching Hospital Peradeniya. After informed consent a repeat Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) was done among the pregnant mothers, at period of amenorrhoea of 34 - 36 weeks, whose initial OGTT values were normal. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed according to the NICE guideline cut off values and the percentage of late occurrence of Gestational diabetes (GDM) was analyzed. Results: Mean age of the population was 29.1 years and the age range in this group was 18 to 45 years and the majority (73.9%) of women were primipara. There were 3.3% of teenage pregnancies and 14% of mothers were over 35 years. Majority (59.7%) of mothers underwent repeat OGTT test at 34 weeks of gestation and the rest (40.3%) underwent test between 34 to 36 weeks of gestation. Although the mean BMI was 23.74, 9.7% of mothers were obese (>30 kg/m2), 30.3% of mothers were pre-obese (25.0 - 29.9 kg/m2). 8.2% of mothers were diagnosed with Gestational diabetes at 34 - 36 weeks whose initial OGTT values were normal. Conclusion: In view of reducing feto-maternal morbidity and mortality, considering a repeat OGTT at a later gestation (34 - 36 weeks of gestation) should be considered in mothers, whose initial OGTT values are normal as Sri Lanka is a high risk country for GDM. Clinical Significance: The study may play an important role in guideline alteration process and screening for gestational diabetes in Sri Lankan set-up.

Design of a Vibration Sensor Based Train Arrival Detection System to Prevent Elephant-Train Accidents in Sri Lanka

At present,Sri Lanka is home to about 5,000-6,000 wild elephants roaming over close to 70%of the country’s land.Despite this blessing,around 150 elephants die each year due to many reasons.The main reasons for the altercations between humans and elephants are the drastic increase in the human population,human encroachment upon elephant territory for agriculture and settlements and unplanned development and transportation efforts.Elephants are long lived herbivores,and their survival depends upon regular migration over large distances to search for food,water,and social and reproductive partners.According to the Sri Lanka railways the average number of elephants that get killed due to elephant-railway accidents is about 9 per year.As a solution for this problem,we have proposed a novel system to pass a signal to indicate the train arrival.The proposed system detects the vibration of the locomotives and after detecting the vibration,alarm system will generate a high frequency signal within the frequency range,where the elephants are sensitive.The proposed system is a low cost device and this can be placed anywhere at any time.Moreover,this project aims to protect elephants from being harmed which usually happen due to various human activities.

Water Quality Variation of Malagane Tank:Lessons Learnt from Sustainable Ancient Hydraulic System,Sri Lanka

Tank Cascade Systems(TCS)are the back bone of the dry zone prosperity in Sri Lanka and supply water throughout the year to agricultural lands since the 2nd century BC.The main aim of this study was to understand the nutrient dynamics of small TCS and find out evidence for the sustainability of the system for thousands of years.Malagane tank cascade in the Deduru Oya Basin(the 5th largest river basin

Lesson Learnt from the 2004 Tsunami:The Effect of Well Cleaning on Groundwater Quality in Coastal Aquifers in Sri Lanka

On December 26,2004,the Indian Ocean tsunami waves hit Sri Lanka resulting in the devastation of the coastal aquifers from saltwater contamination.In an attempt to speed up the cleaning process of the contaminated water in wells,large-scale and intensive campaigns went into cleaning and rehabilitating wells through pumping out saline water(physical cleansing). However,it was unclear whether these attempts improved the well-water quality,especially in terms of salinity due to density driven flow and solute transport phenomenon.Changes in water quality of a sand aquifer on the east coast of Sri Lanka owing to the December 26,2004 tsunami and

A Study on Geophagy by Asian Elephants at Udawalawe National Park,Sri Lanka

Geophagy is the deliberate consumption of earth materials such as soils,clays or sediments by human and animals.The ingested soil is chosen based on its physical,chemical,and mineralogical nature.Early studies reveal that geophagy functions through(1) adsorption/absorption of ingested toxic plant compounds onto clay particles,(2)mineral supplementation (Na,Mn,K,and S as the possible candidates),and(3)

Serum nitrite levels in Sri Lankan patients with leptospirosis

Objective:To determine whether blood nitrite levels are elevated in patients with leptospirosis. Methods:Male patients Fulfilling clinical and epidemiological criteria for a diagnosis of leptospirosis were recruited.Those with MAT title of≥400 together with those seroconverting to a titer of≥200 were included in the analysis.Serum nitrite levels were measured in these patients and age.sex matched healthy controls.Results:Patients from 3 hospitals(n=75) were screened during a 3 month period from 28th June to 3rd September 2009,of whom 20 were eligible for the study.Serum nilrile levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with acute leptospirosis[n=20.(0.359±0.229)μM]compared to controls[(n= 13.(0.216±0.051)μM] (P=0.014).A significant correlation was also observed between the MAT titre and the day of illness (r = 0.547;P【0.0001).Conclusions:Serum nitrite levels are higher in patients with acute leptospirosis compared to age and sex matched controls.No correlation could be assessed with severity of illness,as sample size was inadequate to determine this.