GMOA warns dengue outbreak spiraling as daily cases near 1,500

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has warned that Sri Lanka is facing an uncontrolled dengue outbreak, with daily case numbers climbing sharply despite ongoing eradication programmes. GMOA spokesman Chamil Wijesinghe told reporters that the situation is heading towards a pandemic, drawing parallels to the severe outbreak of 2017. He noted that as of yesterday (05), more than 61,000 dengue cases have been recorded this year, with 1,420 cases reported in a single day. June alone accounted for 21,000 cases, nearly 40% of the year’s total, while the first five days of July saw 5,600 new infections. Data shows around 9,000 cases reported between last week and this week, a surge amounting to a 150% increase, he said. Wijesinghe went on to note that hospitals in the Western and Southern Provinces, and the Kandy, and Ratnapura districts are already overwhelmed, with capacity exceeded. He stressed that if eradication programmes were effective, such rapid increases would not be occurring. The GMOA spokesman further urged the government to urgently convene all stakeholders, monitor real‑time data, and adopt a stronger, comprehensive plan to prevent the outbreak from spiraling into an uncontrollable crisis. (Newswire)