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The outbreak of dengue fever in Sri Lanka is spreading at epidemic levels with the latest case count at 63,987, including 177 deaths as of today. This compares with the approximately 23,000 cases reported during the same period in 2016.

Aedes aegypti/CDC
Aedes aegypti/CDC

This has prompted the Presidential Task Force on Prevention of Dengue and the Ministry of Health to declare an hour every week for cleaning of houses, public institutions, and private company premises. This program will begin today.

The Colombo Page reportsThe program will be implemented from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. every Friday, the Government Information Department said.

The premises should be cleaned during that hour and the health officers and Tri- Forces personnel will come to inspect them, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. The places found with larvae will be fumigated.

In the past 50 years, the incidence of dengue worldwide has increased 30-fold, largely as a consequence of the growth of cities and increased travel.

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.

LISTEN: DDT: A history, Silent Spring, the ban and the rise of the mosquitoes–An interview with Dr Jane Orient

People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and informationvisit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.

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