Sri Lanka’s Dengue outbreak reaches epidemic level

Colombo, June 27 (Daily Mirror ) - Sri Lanka's dengue outbreak has reached epidemic levels, with cases crossing the 50,000 mark, health authorities confirmed to Daily Mirror.

Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Kapila Kannangara, told the Daily Mirror that the rapid increase in cases indicates the country has now reached the epidemic level and that urgent preventive measures are needed to prevent the situation from worsening.

"We are now reporting around 600 to 700 dengue cases a day, and the total number of cases has exceeded 50,000. The disease has reached epidemic proportions," he said.

Dr. Kannangara warned that favourable weather conditions, widespread mosquito breeding and inadequate public participation in dengue control activities continue to fuel the spread of the disease.

He said health authorities recently conducted a special dengue control programme in 600 high-risk Grama Niladhari divisions identified as dengue hotspots during the ongoing southwest monsoon season.

The campaign focused on eliminating mosquito breeding sites through coordinated clean-up operations and public awareness programmes involving government institutions, schools and local government authorities. A circular outlining short-term dengue prevention measures has also been issued to support the programme.

During the islandwide mosquito eradication drive, thousands of mosquito breeding sites were detected.

“With the massive prevention measures are in place, the situation is under control and we are about to see the results in weeks to come,” he said.

Dr. Kannangara urged the public to inspect their homes and surroundings regularly, remove stagnant water where mosquitoes breed and cooperate with health inspection teams.

He stressed that public participation remains the most effective way to reduce mosquito breeding and prevent the number of dengue infections from increasing further.

Sri Lanka has reached dengue epidemic levels on several occasions in recent years, including in 2017, 2019 and 2023. Among these, the 2017 outbreak remains the worst in the country’s history, with the highest number of reported cases (186,101) and deaths (440), placing severe strain on the healthcare system.