Sri Lanka on the brink of dengue hyper epidemic

• Health Ministry intensifies drive against dengue
• Reasons for major spike multifaceted including recent economic crisis 

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

With the dengue outbreak raging in the country, the health experts warn that Sri Lanka is heading to a hyper or major epidemic wreaking havoc.  Speaking with the Daily Mirror, Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Lak Kumar Fernando of the Negombo Hospital said “The epidemic we are experiencing can be the worst since 2017 and 2019. 

 Nevertheless, if preventive measures are not in place, the current situation may end up in a more devastating state reaching the number of cases in 2017,” he stressed.   

“Thus, it is imperative that people take early precautions to clean the surroundings and avoid mosquito bites.”   
Meanwhile, when asked about the reasons that could be attributed to the sudden spike in cases, Dr. Fernando said “The reasons could be multifaceted. One is the recent economic crisis which caused continued lapses in dengue preventive actions increasing breeding places with dominance of relatively new DEN-3 serotype, which is becoming the main dengue serotype found among majority of infections at present. In addition, the situation has also been triggered by the scattered showers.”   

“Over the last few years, the majority of dengue cases belonged to the DEN-2 against which the people’s immunity was powerful. However, the immunity against the serotype 3 is lesser than the serotype 2 and that’s why the cases have soared drastically,” he explained.   

Dengue infections are caused by four closely related viruses named DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. These four viruses are called serotypes because each has different interactions with the antibodies in the human blood serum.   

The largest dengue outbreak in Sri Lanka was reported in 2017 registering 186,101 cases, while the number of cases reported in 2019 is the second largest. However, Sri Lanka has already surpassed the number of cases logged in the years 2020 and 2021 with six more months to spare. 

•  Dengue infections are caused by four closely related viruses named DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4
• It is imperative that people take early precautions to clean the surroundings and avoid mosquito bites