Sri Lanka Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said he sought Cabinet approval to strengthen the country's quarantine and disease prevention laws in keeping with international standards.

The Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance is in practice at the moment. However, the minister said Sri Lanka had accelerated work for becoming an aviation naval energy, knowledge and commercial hub, Xinhua reported.

"This development process creates global links and generates major population flows for trade and commerce, tourism and others. As a result, it is important to have comprehensive health strategies to protect the country against the spread of diseases," he said.

The current International Health Regulations (IHR-2005) came into effect in 2007. Along with Sri Lanka, 194 countries became signatories to it.

The World Health Organization describes the purpose and scope of the IHR (2005). That is to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.

The minister said necessary amendments would be incorporated into the present law to provide for this.