In the 2017 dengue epidemic in Sri Lanka, a rise in the number of dengue fever cases was reported on the island country of Sri Lanka. The peak of the outbreak was in the mid-year monsoon rain season, when there was record of over 40,000 cases in July. This figure was far beyond the historical highest number of cases per month in Sri Lanka. Year-end total dengue cases rose to 186,101.
2017 dengue outbreak in Sri Lanka | |
---|---|
Disease | Dengue fever |
Virus strain | Dengue virus |
First outbreak | Sri Lanka |
Dates | May 2017 – Aug 2017 |
Type | DENV-2 |
Confirmed cases | 186,101 |
Deaths | 440 |
Fatality rate | 0.24% |
Vaccinations | no vaccine available (at time) |
Most cases (43%) were recorded in Western Province urban areas such as the Colombo district (table 1).[1] Most dengue cases were young people and school children. Year-end Sri Lanka's total dengue related deaths was 440.
The Government of Sri Lanka spend more than US$12 million on outbreak control and was supported by NGOs such as the Red Cross.[2][3][4]
District | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colombo | 2,734 | 1,900 | 2,467 | 2,570 | 3,333 | 5,372 | 7,471 | 3,620 | 1,251 | 823 | 1,131 | 1,602 | 34,274 |
Gampaha | 1,635 | 1,087 | 1,870 | 2,072 | 3,168 | 4,901 | 9,039 | 3,553 | 1,246 | 779 | 1,078 | 1,219 | 31,647 |
Kalutara | 581 | 448 | 836 | 739 | 946 | 1,248 | 2,612 | 1,477 | 663 | 337 | 528 | 546 | 10,961 |
In 2017 Sri Lanka experienced its largest neglected tropical disease outbreak of dengue fever since the first recorded Sri Lankan case in 1962.[6][7][8] This biological hazard, transmitted via female mosquito bites, caused 186,101 dengue cases, significantly higher than in previous years (table 2), and 440 deaths.[3][9][10]
Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Dengue Cases | 34,188 | 28,473 | 44,461 | 32,063 | 47,502 | 29,777 | 50,592 | 186,101 | 51,659 | 105,049 | 31,162 | 25,067 | 51,005 (Jan-Oct) |
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health (MoH) reported a rise in cases from January, with the highest number of cases reported in July (table 3).[11] Most cases were recorded in the west and north of the country, specifically in the urban Colombo district.[3]
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reported Dengue Case Numbers | 10,927 | 8,724 | 13,540 | 12,540 | 15,963 | 25,319 | 41,121 | 22,270 | 9,519 | 6,614 | 8,868 | 10,753 |
Climate change models suggest that Sri Lanka's climate is becoming more conducive to mosquito breeding, this combined with economic instability could trigger a future epidemic.[23][24] There is a possibility of a cycle of disease, poverty and food insecurity which may be challenging to break.[25] However, this could be mitigated if the MoH, supported by institutions like WHO, engage in proactive strategies.[21] At the cost of US$78 per person a licensed vaccine is now available - Dengvaxia - with five more in development.[21] However, Sri Lanka's current expenditure is US$161 per capita on healthcare (2021), the vaccine is a significant proportion of that budget and in uncertain economic times may not be a priority.[26][27]
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