Sri Lanka battles surge in dengue fever, with 44,000 cases

COLOMBO, June 19 (Reuters): Sri Lanka is battling the worst outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever in years, with more than 44,000 cases and 28 deaths recorded since January, an official said on Friday, putting public hospitals under strain.

Dengue is common during Sri Lanka's monsoon season, but unplanned urbanisation coupled with damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which hit the island nation in late November, has worsened the outbreak this year.

The number of dengue cases nearly doubled from 5,651 in April to 10,638 in the first two weeks of June.