By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Sri Lanka’s Epidemiology Unit has reported more than 25,000 dengue fever cases so far this year, according to new data published today.
Through July 5, 25,267 dengue cases have been reported with Colombo reporting one-fifth of the cases nationwide.
The districts reporting the most cases include Colombo (5403), Gampaha (3281) and Galle (2248).
In addition, officials report at least 35 dengue-related fatalities through the first six months of 2019.
In 2018, more than 51,000 dengue cases were reported in Sri Lanka, including more than 50 deaths.
Dengue infects nearly 400 million people across more than 120 countries each year. Most survive with few or no symptoms, but more than two million annually develop what can be a dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever, which kills more than 25,000 people each year.
Dengue viruses are arboviruses (arthropod-borne virus) that are transmitted primarily to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.