TEMPO.CO, Colombo - A deadly outbreak of dengue fever has ravaged the island nation of Sri Lanka, killing at least 227 people and infecting tens of thousands.
Experts worry the death toll could yet increase, as the country's health infrastructure struggles to cope with the virus' rapid spread, as reported by CNN on Friday, July 7.
"Dengue will get worse as flood waters recede further," Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said in comments made to state-owned media outlet Daily News.
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The government has deployed 450 troops in a bid to help combat the spread of the disease.
"We are assisting health inspectors to search for dengue breeding areas and have also set up temporary wards at the Negombo Hospital on the outskirts of Colombo to tackle the issue," Sri Lankan Army spokesman Brigadier Roshan Senevirathana told CNN.
Families are now struggling to find adequate care for affected individuals, with overcrowded hospitals turning away patients in need of urgent assistance.
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Dengue is endemic in Sri Lanka. The last major outbreak in 2009 saw 25,000 infections and 249 deaths.
Dr. Priscilla Samaraweera, at the Sri Lankan National Dengue Control Unit, told CNN that health care workers are struggling to combat the virus, which is more infectious and fatal than other strains that have hit the Asian nation in previous years.
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