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300 die of dengue outbreak in Sri Lanka

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Published: 05:11, 25 July 2017   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
300 die of dengue outbreak in Sri Lanka

International Desk: At least 300 people died of dengue fever in Sri Lanka as the mosquito-borne viral disease turned into an outbreak in the country.

More than one lakh people have also been affected in the viral disease, according to media reports.

The aid agencies in the country also warned of further spreading of the viral disease.

The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Monday that they were scaling up emergency assistance to the island nation, as the number of dengue cases topped one lakh.

Meanwhile Red Cross/Red Crescent said in a statement, "Dengue patients are streaming into overcrowded hospitals that are stretched beyond capacity and struggling to cope, particularly in the country’s hardest hit western province."

The Red Cross announced it was increasing its budget by $300,000 to cope with the unprecedented outbreak.

According to the country's ministry of health, the number of dengue infections has climbed above 100,000 since the start of 2017, with 296 deaths.

That figure is nearly double the previous year, with about half those cases reported from the island's west, including the capital Colombo.

Source: Agencies
 

risingbd/Dhaka/July 25, 2017/A K Azad

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