TY - JOUR
T1 - Severe dengue epidemic, Sri Lanka, 2017
AU - Tissera, Hasitha A.
AU - Jayamanne, Bernard D.W.
AU - Raut, Rajendra
AU - Janaki, Sakunthala M.D.
AU - Tozan, Yesim
AU - Samaraweera, Preshila C.
AU - Liyanage, Prasad
AU - Ghouse, Azhar
AU - Rodrigo, Chaturaka
AU - de Silva, Aravinda M.
AU - Fernando, Sumadhya D.
PY - 2020/4
Y1 - 2020/4
N2 - In 2017, a dengue epidemic of unexpected magnitude occurred in Sri Lanka. A total of 186,101 suspected cases and 440 dengue-related deaths occurred. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of this epidemic by comparing national surveillance data for 2017 with data from the preceding 5 years. In all Sri Lanka districts, dengue incidence in 2017 increased significantly over incidence during the previous 5 years. Older schoolchildren and young adults were more clinically symptomatic than those at extremes of age. Limited virologic surveillance showed the dominant circulating variant was dengue virus type 2 cosmopolitan genotype in the most affected district. One quarter of total annual cases were reported 5 weeks after the southwest monsoon started. Changes in vector abundance were not predictive of the increased incidence. Direct government expenditures on dengue control activities in 2017 were US $12.7 million. The lessons learned from this outbreak are useful for other tropical nations facing increasing dengue incidence.
AB - In 2017, a dengue epidemic of unexpected magnitude occurred in Sri Lanka. A total of 186,101 suspected cases and 440 dengue-related deaths occurred. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of this epidemic by comparing national surveillance data for 2017 with data from the preceding 5 years. In all Sri Lanka districts, dengue incidence in 2017 increased significantly over incidence during the previous 5 years. Older schoolchildren and young adults were more clinically symptomatic than those at extremes of age. Limited virologic surveillance showed the dominant circulating variant was dengue virus type 2 cosmopolitan genotype in the most affected district. One quarter of total annual cases were reported 5 weeks after the southwest monsoon started. Changes in vector abundance were not predictive of the increased incidence. Direct government expenditures on dengue control activities in 2017 were US $12.7 million. The lessons learned from this outbreak are useful for other tropical nations facing increasing dengue incidence.
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U2 - 10.3201/eid2604.190435
DO - 10.3201/eid2604.190435
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32186490
AN - SCOPUS:85082012285
VL - 26
SP - 682
EP - 691
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
SN - 1080-6040
IS - 4
ER -