Mosquito larvae density across Sri Lanka jumped from 8% in April to 12% in May, with school premises recording the steepest surge — from 23% to 63% — the National Dengue Control Unit said, warning that the country is heading into a sharply elevated dengue transmission window.
National Dengue Control Unit Entomologist M.D. Sapunthala Janaki disclosed the May surveillance figures to NewsFirst on Saturday. Household larvae density rose to 11.7% in May from about 8% in April, while government institutions recorded 28%, factories 37% and religious places 24% — the cross-sectoral spike that has prompted the Ministry of Health to call its National Dengue Control Week beginning Sunday, June 15.
National Dengue Control Unit Director Dr. Kapila Kannangara said the disease is now spreading rapidly across many parts of the country, urging the public to seek immediate medical attention for any fever symptoms and to clear potential breeding sites in and around homes.
Sri Lanka has logged 40,443 dengue cases so far in 2026 and 23 deaths — including four children — with active transmission reported across 74 Medical Officer of Health divisions in 12 districts. The May surveillance update extends the trajectory documented by the Director-General of Health Services last week, when 21 deaths and reported hospital capacity pressure prompted Dr. Kannangara to flag the situation as worsening.
The 23%-to-63% school-premises jump is the single highest sector-specific reading the Control Unit has flagged this year. School cleanups and breeding-site removal had already been escalated as a public-health priority following the Education Ministry’s May 29 hygiene circular to provincial directors covering meal-serving practices, Dansal preparation and school-grounds sanitation.
