Sri Lankan health officials report increase in number of dengue cases in first quarter compared to 2011

Sri Lankan health authorities "have reported a three-fold increase in the number of recorded dengue fever cases in the first quarter of this year," IRIN reports. According to the national Epidemiology Unit, "9,317 dengue cases and 38 deaths were reported in the first three months of 2012, [compared with] 3,103 in the first quarter of 2011," the news service writes, noting that more than half of the cases were recorded "in the country's Western Province, where most of the island's 20 million inhabitants live." Intermittent rain, which allows stagnant water to collect and create mosquito breeding grounds, are expected to continue through April, and "[h]ealth officials agree that removing mosquito breeding sites is the most important step in mitigating risk," according to IRIN. "In May 2010 the government launched a campaign to curb the spread of the disease," and last year the number of cases dropped when compared to 2010, the news service notes (4/11).