Dengue has claimed 61 lives in Sri Lanka this year, with the total number of reported cases rising to 84,091 as of midnight on July 29, according to the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU).
July has become the worst month of the outbreak so far, recording 28,717 infections, followed by June with 21,533 cases. Earlier monthly figures were January (7,866), February (5,721), March (6,013), April (5,651), and May (8,590).
Gampaha District has reported the highest number of cases with 17,850 (21.23%), followed by Colombo with 16,716 (19.88%). Other districts with high case numbers include Kandy (5,793), Matara (5,730), and Kalutara (5,493).
The Western Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 44,552 cases (52.98%), while the Southern Province has recorded 18,127 cases (21.55%). The Central Province has reported 6,674 cases, Sabaragamuwa 6,898, North Western 4,463, North Central 1,548, and Northern Province 1,446.
Health authorities identified 175 high-risk Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas during Epidemiological Week 29, with an average of 2,391 new cases reported daily. The case fatality rate currently stands at 0.07%.
Authorities continue to urge the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and take preventive measures as the dengue outbreak intensifies across the country.
