Colombo, May 10 : In the wake of a spike in dengue cases in Sri Lanka, all the provincial chief secretaries in the country were informed in writing to take all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease, said the President's Media Division (PMD). As a result, the heads of government institutions, schools, and other institutions should be informed to check and clean places where mosquitoes can breed, inspect all houses and shop premises in urban and rural areas, make loudspeaker announcements, and visit areas where dengue cases have been detected, Xinhua news agency quoted the PMD as saying. The PMD said President's Secretary Saman Ekanayake also instructed the armed forces and the police to extend their fullest cooperation to the chief secretaries in accordance with the requirements of the dengue control program. The provincial chief secretaries confirmed that the Department of Health Services, its regional health services directorate offices, and local government agencies had already implemented a comprehensive disease prevention program under the supervision of public health inspectors, the PMD said. According to the PMD, during the previous week, 1,896 dengue cases were recorded throughout the country, with the Western Province reporting the highest number of cases accounting for 49 per cent. A total of 15,746 cases were reported in the Western Province so far this year. /IANS