The Epidemiology Unit of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health (MoH) recently reported a total of 80,732 cases of dengue fever throughout the first six months of 2017, a figure that is 4.3 times higher than the average number of cases reported from 2010-2016 and includes 215 deaths.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the monthly number of dengue cases that have appeared since January 1, 2017 exceeds the mean plus three standard deviations for each of the past six months.
Additional site surveillance over the past seven years revealed that the peak months of dengue infection, which stretches from May to July, coincides with a southwestern monsoon which begins in late April.
Approximately 43 percent of dengue cases emanated from Sri Lanka’s Western Province, with the highest number of cases coming from the Colombo District.
Further, preliminary laboratory testing has identified dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) as the circulating strain for the recent outbreak.
Dengue fever is a highly-infectious, mosquito-borne tropical disease that causes death in approximately one percent of cases if the virus is quickly detected and medical attention is received, according to WHO. It is typically transmitted by the Aedes aegypti-species mosquito, which is known to transfer other infectious flaviviruses including chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus.
To address and mitigate further spread of the virus, the WHO said it is supporting the Sri Lankan MoH with a number of response measures including increasing the number of beds in health care facilities, supporting the mobilization of Sri Lankan defense forces in conducting house-to-house visits in high-risk areas, and deploying a number of fogging machines to support vector control activities.
A recent WHO-conducted risk assessment stated that the current epidemic is likely to have repercussions on public health throughout Sri Lanka.