Is dengue worse than usual in Matara?

Yes. Dengue in Matara is seven times its usual for these weeks.

243 cases a week, against a usual 34.

05001k2026JanAprJulOctWeek 8 of 2026: 40, as printedWeek 14 of 2026: 21, as printedWeek 24 of 2026: 21, as printed

Usual range: the two years before

Weeks 8, 14 and 24: the Ministry of Health's two reports disagree by more than half (its Epidemiology Unit's figures, drawn here, against its National Dengue Control Unit's weekly update). Shown as printed.

Read from these four weekly reports by Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka:

  • 20–26 Jul 2026 (Vol 53 No 31)
  • 26 Jul–2 Aug 2026 (Vol 53 No 32)
  • 3–9 Aug 2026 (Vol 53 No 33)
  • 10–16 Aug 2026 (Vol 53 No 34)
The 8 reports behind "usual"
  • 20–26 Jul 2024 (Vol 51 No 31)
  • 27 Jul–2 Aug 2024 (Vol 51 No 32)
  • 3–9 Aug 2024 (Vol 51 No 33)
  • 10–16 Aug 2024 (Vol 51 No 34)
  • 19–25 Jul 2025 (Vol 52 No 31)
  • 26 Jul–1 Aug 2025 (Vol 52 No 32)
  • 2–8 Aug 2025 (Vol 52 No 33)
  • 9–15 Aug 2025 (Vol 52 No 34)

The publisher's own list of its weekly reports

How this is worked out. The last four weeks against the same four weeks of the two years before, for Matara alone. What "usual" means.

When does dengue usually peak in Matara?

Twice a year: most often around October and December (9 of 19 years), and around June and July (6).

2007: peaked in week 472008: peaked in week 522009: peaked in week 232010: peaked in week 302011: peaked in week 482012: peaked in week 32013: peaked in week 82014: peaked in week 392015: peaked in week 432016: peaked in week 532017: peaked in week 292018: peaked in week 522019: peaked in week 302020: peaked in week 522021: peaked in week 22022: peaked in week 262023: peaked in week 282024: peaked in week 412025: peaked in week 52JFMAMJJASOND

One year's peak2025Now and the next ten weeks

From 19 years of weekly reports, 2007 to 2025: each dot is the month that year's dengue peaked in Matara.

How does Matara compare with the rest of Sri Lanka?

Matara is 3rd of the 21 districts with enough cases to compare, each against its own usual.

usual⅛×8×32×country 4.7×Anuradhapura: 6.0×Badulla: 7.6×Batticaloa: 3.0×Colombo: 4.0×Galle: 5.3×Gampaha: 6.3×Hambantota: 6.7×Jaffna: 2.5×Kalmunai: 6.5×Kalutara: 7.8×Kandy: 3.5×Kegalle: 5.3×Kurunegala: 3.8×Matale: 2.8×Matara: 7.2×Monaragala: 3.8×Nuwara Eliya: 6.3×Polonnaruwa: 5.0×Puttalam: 7.0×Ratnapura: 2.6×Trincomalee: 2.1×Matara

Across Sri Lanka as a whole, dengue is at 4.7× its usual; in Matara it is 7.2×.

What is dengue?

An infection caused by the dengue virus, carried by mosquitoes. Most people have mild or no illness, but it can become severe.

Signs
High fever, bad headache, pain behind the eyes, aching muscles and joints, feeling sick, vomiting, swollen glands and rash. Usually lasts two to seven days.
How it spreads
Through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which bites mainly in the daytime. Rarely, through blood transfusions, organ donation, or from mother to baby.
How to protect yourself
Cover up, use nets, window screens and repellent. Empty, clean and cover anything holding water weekly. A vaccine is licensed in some countries for children aged 6 to 16 in high-risk areas.
Get medical help
Get help immediately, often just after the fever drops, for bad stomach pain, repeated vomiting, fast breathing, bleeding gums or nose, blood in vomit or poo, or cold pale skin. Use paracetamol, not ibuprofen or aspirin.

In Dooram's words, from the World Health Organization. Source: WHO fact sheet: Dengue and severe dengue, read 8 October 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Dengue in every country Dooram reads ›

A reported case means someone reached a clinic and a form was filed, so these count reports, not everyone who was ill.

Sources. Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, weekly report. District maps: Survey Department of Sri Lanka, published as a Common Operational Dataset by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.