Colombo, Aug 13 (IANS): The number of people suffering from dengue in Sri Lanka has increased to over 34,000 so far this year, with Colombo reporting the highest number of infected patients, official statistics revealed on Monday.
The statistics from the Epidemiology Unit said that in August, 1,075 patients have been diagnosed with dengue from across the island while 6,221 patients were reported last month, reports Xinhua news agency.
Some of the worst affected districts were Kandy and Gampaha.
The National Dengue Control Unit last month warned that there was an increase in the number of dengue patients this year due to the active South West monsoon rains.
As a result, the unit said it has launched special programmes to eradicate dengue breeding grounds.
Over 300 people were killed and more than 136,000 infected by the dengue epidemic last year in one of the country's worst-ever outbreaks in recent times.