Sri Lanka reported 487 new HIV infections in the first six months of 2026, a 13.3% increase on the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the National STD/AIDS Control Programme.
The country recorded 249 new cases in the first quarter and a further 238 in the second, the Daily Mirror reported. The comparison period — the first half of 2025 — produced 430 cases, made up of 230 in the first quarter and 200 in the second. Hiru News carried the same NSACP figures on Tuesday.
Who is being infected
Males continued to account for the majority of reported infections. The male-to-female ratio stood at 7:1 in the second quarter of 2026.
Among people aged 15 to 24, 55 cases were reported in the first half of the year — 48 males, six females and one transgender person.
A further 73 HIV-positive cases have been identified through the Immigration Health Unit, including nine during the second quarter.
Deaths
Eight AIDS-related deaths were reported across the first two quarters of 2026, four in each quarter.
The cumulative number of AIDS-related deaths recorded in Sri Lanka has reached 820, with another 111 deaths classified as non-AIDS-related. The cumulative adjusted death count among all reported HIV cases up to 2025 stands at 1,708.
Mother-to-child transmission
A total of 117 HIV cases have been linked to vertical transmission from mother to child over the period covered by the programme’s records. No vertically transmitted case was reported in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Reading the numbers
The quarterly figures reconcile against the half-year total — 249 plus 238 is 487 — and the 13.3% rise is consistent with the stated 2025 base of 430. The age-band breakdown also adds up: 48 plus six plus one is 55.
One caution on comparison. Separate figures have circulated this year for Sri Lanka’s annual HIV count, including a figure of around 860 new infections reported in early October in the context of Sri Lanka being named among countries with rising case numbers. Those are full-year national totals drawn from a different reporting round and are not comparable with the 487 half-year figure above. This report covers only the NSACP’s first-half 2026 data.
Not reported
Neither filing gives a district breakdown, says how many of the newly diagnosed have started antiretroviral treatment, or sets out what the programme attributes the increase to. Neither reports the estimated number of people living with HIV in Sri Lanka, or how many are undiagnosed.