According to the World Health Organization, the number of dengue cases has increased from 500,000 in 2000 to 14.4 million in 2024.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus.
Many people with dengue fever do not show any symptoms at all.
There is no universal vaccine for dengue fever, and treatment is mainly aimed at relieving symptoms, such as taking paracetamol for pain.
This is not the first time Sri Lanka has experienced a dengue fever epidemic.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst dengue fever outbreak in a decade, and the country has begun using military drones to search for stagnant water on rooftops and other places where mosquitoes can breed, the BBC reports.
The virus has killed 56 people in Sri Lanka this year and infected more than 77,000, with more than a quarter of the cases detected in July.
Dengue fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, is well-known in tropical climates, but climate change and rising temperatures mean that the mosquitoes that carry the virus are moving to places they have never lived before, including Europe. According to the World Health Organization, the number of dengue cases has increased from 500,000 in 2000 to 14.4 million in 2024.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. They breed in standing water, including vases and flower pots, and are most active during daylight hours, usually biting people just after sunrise and around sunset. Many people with dengue fever do not show any symptoms at all. When symptoms do appear, they include high fever, headache and joint pain, itching and nausea. Symptoms usually go away within a week or two. However, the disease can be more severe, causing internal bleeding and even death. If one gets infected again, they risk a more severe course of the disease.
Kapila Kannangara, director of Sri Lanka’s Dengue Control Unit, said
there are four strains, and recovery from one does not confer immunity to the others.
There is no universal vaccine for dengue fever, and treatment is mainly aimed at relieving symptoms, such as taking paracetamol for pain. Patients with severe cases often require hospital observation, as complications can be fatal.
Sri Lankan health authorities attribute the increase in dengue cases to a cyclone that hit the island last December, creating a dense, moist environment for mosquitoes to breed. The government has ordered the army to use drones to search rooftops of homes, schools and construction sites for standing water, while police have been tasked with conducting door-to-door inspections. Nearly 11,000 mosquito breeding sites have been cleaned so far, and more than 4,000 properties have been fined for standing water.
While cases have been reported across the country, the highest numbers are in urban areas, such as the capital Colombo. Hospitals have added extra beds and extended working hours, and health workers are overwhelmed. Capacity constraints have forced doctors to advise patients with milder cases to recover at home. Authorities are considering a vaccine, but health experts have warned that developing one would be very difficult, given that the virus has four different serotypes.
This is not the first time Sri Lanka has experienced a dengue fever epidemic. In 2017, the disease killed 450 people after heavy monsoon rains.
Read also: Dengue and Chikungunya may become endemic in Europe
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