2020 reports lowest number of dengue patients in a decade

2020 reports lowest number of dengue patients in a decade

The lowest number of dengue patients to be diagnosed in 10 years in Sri Lanka was reported in 2020, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry said.

Head of the Unit Dr. Arjuna Jayasekara said 35 dengue cases were reported in 2020, while no fatalities were reported in December.

One of the key reasons for this was less movement of people to the Western Province over fears of contracting COVID-19, he said.
Dr. Jayasekara said people spending more time in their gardens and keeping them clean due to being self-quarantined or otherwise because of COVID-19, and the virtual abandonment of work in construction sites due to the pandemic were other factors.

He added that a total of 30,699 dengue cases, including fatalities were reported in 2020, with the highest number of patients being reported from the Western Province with 8,577 cases.