The first team sent earlier had been headed by Dr. Anil Dissanayake, Director of the Ministry of Health, Epidemiology Unit. The doctors continue to struggle to find ways to contain the epidemic. “Another disease to hit a peak during the rainy season is dengue with a total of 18,760 dengue cases and 20 confirmed dengue deaths being reported as of May 18 in all parts of the country,” Epidemiology Unit epidemiologists said.
According to the epidemiologists, the highest number of dengue cases, (2891) had been reported from the Colombo district while the second highest number (2618), had been reported from the Batticaloa district. The third highest number of dengue cases (1590) had been reported from the Gampaha district. “The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) reported a total of 789 dengue cases during the same period. Other parts of the Colombo district recorded a total of 2102 dengue cases. The total number of dengue cases reported from the Western Province is 5601,” epidemiologists said.