Sri Lanka has recorded 98,249 dengue cases so far in 2026, with 74 deaths, NewsFirst reported, citing the National Dengue Control Unit.
Gampaha is the worst-affected district, with 20,856 cases — more than a fifth of the national total. July was the heaviest month of the year, accounting for 29,964 cases, close to a third of all infections recorded in 2026.
The number of high-risk MOH divisions has declined to 35, the first figure published for that measure in this cycle of reporting.
The control drive
Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit Dr. Kapila Kannangara said the special mosquito-control programme now running across seven provinces covers 62 Medical Officer of Health divisions where a high prevalence of dengue mosquito larvae has been found. He said the programme continues until Saturday.
That end date matches the 14–19 September window announced for the prevention week, and the 62-division figure is the one constant across every account of the drive — the only number that four separate descriptions of its scope have agreed on. Earlier reporting variously described the campaign as island-wide, as covering seven provinces, and as covering six provinces and 15 districts plus the Colombo Municipal Council area.
The trajectory
The case count has risen by roughly 1,200 in the five days since the prevention week began, when the total stood just above 97,000. The death toll of 74 is unchanged over that period, and is one higher than the 73 deaths recorded against 96,228 cases on 6 September.
The year’s burden is already far above the 73,000 cases and 50 deaths reported by mid-July, and the drive was timed against a forecast rather than a current spike: the Meteorology Department has put the probability of a strong El Niño at 98% within three months, with rain now reaching districts that spent much of the year in drought.
NewsFirst did not report what follows the drive when it ends on Saturday, or whether the 35 high-risk divisions are a subset of the 62 being treated.
