Sri Lanka faces alarming increase in dengue cases reported this year
January 16, 2024 12:06 pm
Nearly 6,000 dengue infections have been reported in Sri Lanka thus far in the month of January this year, as per the latest statistics of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU).
Accordingly, 5,829 dengue cases have been reported across the island as of 15 January 2024.
The highest figures have been reported in the Western Province (33.6%), whilst 1,228 cases have been reported in the Colombo District alone. The total number of dengue patients reported in the Western Province is 1,956.
Meanwhile, 1,177 dengue cases were reported in the Jaffna District during the period of the first 15 days of 2024, according to the NDCU.
Last year, a total of 87,078 dengue cases were reported in Sri Lanka with 57 deaths, according to the NDCU.
In the meantime, efforts are underway to control the spread of dengue across the country through the implementation of diverse programmes.
On January 03, a decision was reached in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to establish an operational unit directly supervised by the Ministry of Health to combat the spread of dengue. The objective of the unit is to create a reporting system for ongoing dengue control programmes, tracking daily progress in the province and outlining future measures.
