Sri Lanka, U.S. discuss collaboration on dengue control measures

Colombo, July 25 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka and the United States have discussed possible collaboration on dengue control measures as the country continues to battle a sharp surge in infections this year.

Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said the discussions took place during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting in Manila, the Philippines, on July 23.

In a post on X, the Minister said the talks focused on strengthening the long-standing bilateral relationship between the two countries, including expanding trade ties.

He added that the two sides also discussed possible collaboration in support of the dengue control measures being undertaken in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is currently facing one of its worst dengue outbreaks in recent years. According to official data, the country had recorded 80,114 dengue cases as of midnight on July 23.

Health authorities have also confirmed 59 dengue-related deaths this year, with a case fatality rate of 0.07%. As of Epidemiological Week 29, there are 175 high-risk Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas, while an average of 2,391 new cases is being reported daily.

The outbreak has escalated significantly in recent days, with 24,739 cases reported in July alone, making it the worst month of the year so far. June recorded 21,534 cases, while the number of infections in earlier months remained comparatively lower.

The Western Province continues to be the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for more than half of all reported cases nationwide.

Gampaha District has reported 16,950 infections, followed by Colombo with 16,091. Other districts with high case numbers include Matara (5,534), Kandy (4,827), Kalutara (4,545), and Ratnapura (4,428). The Colombo Municipal Council area alone has reported more than 3,200 dengue cases.