Sri Lanka has recorded 33,572 dengue cases and 19 deaths so far in 2026, with 8,321 new infections reported in May alone, the Epidemiology Unit said on Monday — pointing to a sustained pre-monsoon surge.
Community Health Specialist Dr. Thushani Dabrera said the Western Province now accounts for half of all reported cases, followed by the Southern Province at 16 per cent and Sabaragamuwa at 9 per cent. The Colombo, Gampaha and Kurunegala districts continue to carry the bulk of the national caseload.
Seventy-two Medical Officer of Health divisions have been identified as high-risk transmission zones and placed under intensified surveillance and vector-control operations. Dr. Dabrera urged the public to clear mosquito breeding sites — discarded containers, water-collecting plant axils and roof gutters — as monsoon rains expand standing water.
Monday’s figures show a steady climb from the 32,071 cases and 17 deaths recorded by late May: a further 1,501 cases and two deaths in five days. The numbers also extend the trajectory tracked since the 42-high-risk-zone advisory issued in early May and underline the call from the Ministry’s 43-division eradication programme for sustained household action.
Health authorities are bracing for a sharper rise as the southwest monsoon settles in, with the Ministry of Health continuing inspections at construction sites, schools and public premises in the high-risk MOH zones.
Sources: Ada Derana.
