The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) will launch a special dengue eradication programme covering 60 high-risk zones across the country from tomorrow (July 13), as Sri Lanka’s dengue outbreak continues to worsen.
Of the 60 targeted zones, 23 are in the Western Province, where dengue control activities have already been under way since last Sunday under the Clean Sri Lanka programme run on behalf of the Presidential Secretariat. NDCU Specialist Dr. Prasheela Samaraweera said the new drive is intended to intensify prevention efforts in the areas identified as most vulnerable.
So far this year, 68,071 dengue cases have been reported nationwide and the death toll stands at 47, according to the latest National Dengue Control Unit figures. June was the worst month on record with 21,538 infections, and a further 12,692 cases were logged in just the first 12 days of July. The Western Province accounts for the largest share at 35,823 cases, followed by the Southern Province (10,657), Sabaragamuwa (5,756) and the Kandy District (5,560).
The figures underline the scale of an outbreak that health authorities have described in increasingly urgent terms. LankaNewz reported that June set a record with more than 56,000 cases, a month the Public Health Inspectors’ Union labelled a “hyper-epidemic,” while the GMOA earlier called for a presidential task force to confront a “super epidemic.”
Officials continue to stress that destroying mosquito breeding sites remains the most effective control measure, following the earlier islandwide National Dengue Control Week. Health teams, backed by police support in some districts, have focused on clearing abandoned plots and premises where Aedes mosquitoes proliferate during the monsoon.
Update (July 13): The NDCU’s latest figures put the national caseload at 68,672 for the year as of July 12 — up by 601 in a single day — with 13,293 cases recorded in the first 12 days of July alone. Gampaha has now overtaken Colombo for the highest district total at 14,112 cases, ahead of Colombo’s 13,791, as the Western Province tally climbed to 36,118.
Update (July 14): The National Dengue Control Unit will roll out a further week-long eradication programme across 11 districts from Thursday (July 16), Acting NDCU Director Dr. Kapila Kannangara said, warning that the hospital system is under severe pressure. He said 13,293 cases had been recorded so far this month, keeping the year’s national total at 68,672 with 47 deaths. A separate prevention campaign led by the Capital Maharaja media network — the parent of NewsFirst — alongside the Health and Mass Media ministries is meanwhile focusing on the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts.
