Colombo, Feb. 11 – Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that 10,607 dengue cases were recorded from across the country in January, an increase of 90 percent compared to the same period last year.
The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, quoted in local media reports, said the highest number of dengue patients were reported from capital Colombo at 1,693, followed by Trincomalee in the east with 1,278, Jaffna in the north with 1,061, Batticaloa in the east with 1,044, Gampaha on the outskirts of the capital with 74, and Kandy, in the Central Highlands with 662 patients, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Monaragala, in the Uva Province of the country, was the only district that did not record any dengue cases, while all other districts in the country had recorded over 15 patients during the month of January.
Health officials called on the public to be vigilant on mosquito breeding sites and take steps to clean those sites and keep the environment unpolluted on a regular basis.
Medical experts urged people to seek immediate medical attention if they suffer from high fever, uncontrolled vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness and reduced urinary.
“All fever patients need rest and should refrain from attending work or school,” said epidemiologists, adding that Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever can be fatal.
Medical experts further urged pregnant women to seek hospital admission immediately on the first day of fever.
In 2019, over 99,000 people were affected by the mosquito-borne virus in Sri Lanka, with the National Dengue Control Unit launching several programs to eradicate mosquito’s breeding grounds in several districts of the island country.
Last year, 90 deaths were reported.
