Dengue epidemic; Sri Lanka not out of the woods yet

• Cases close to 40,000 
• Dengue deaths rise to 25 as SL grappling with major outbreak
• Month of May inching to record highest cases in 2023 

By Sheain Fernandopulle  

Despite rains having comparatively decreased, the Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) warned that Sri Lanka is not out of the woods yet in terms of the dengue outbreak.  
Speaking to Daily Mirror, PHIU Secretary Indunil Bopitiya said Sri Lanka would continue to witness cases until the month of August as showers are expected in the next couple of months as well.  

“The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in nature is two weeks. The mosquito can lay eggs about three times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time. In this context, there are a lot of breeding places undetected in the country, which could result in more infections,” he pointed out.   
Hence, Bopitiya requested people to keep their surroundings clean in order to keep dengue at bay.   

Meanwhile, the death toll of the dengue epidemic has climbed to 25, with the fresh deaths being confirmed over the weekend.  

According to the Epidemiology Unit, as of May 30, a total of 38,639 cases have been reported, with the highest number of cases being recorded from the Gampaha District at 8,630.   Moreover, the Epidemiology Unit has identified 61 high-risk MOH areas where dengue breeding places have been found in abundance.  

Meanwhile, the month of May is inching to record the highest dengue cases since January as it is just 32 cases away with one more day to spare in the month.  
At present, the tally of dengue cases for May stands at 8,932, while January reported 8,963 cases, the highest so far in 2023.