Sri Lanka braces for massive Dengue outbreak

Over 4,000 cases in 15 days

Health authorities are making a monumental effort to curb the spread of the dengue virus before it wreaks havoc in the country, officials said.

Speaking to Daily Mirror, Dr. Shilanthi Seneviratne from the Dengue Control Unit said cases are expected to remain at a higher rate in the next couple of months.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and making our fullest effort to mitigate the damage. Some 4,091 cases have already been reported within 15 days with 26 deaths this year so far,” she added.

“Nowadays, an average of 1,800 cases of Dengue patients are detected per week, which is quite alarming because only 200 cases are reported on other normal days,” she stressed.

She further highlighted that majority of cases have been reported from the Western Province where Colombo district tops the list.

“It will take at least another two months to bring the cases down to a satisfactory level,” she added.

Thus, Dr. Seneviratne urged people to be cautious of this and seek medical assistance if they have fever, muscle, bone or joint pain.

A total of 4,561 cases were reported in the month of November.