Is dengue worse than usual in Polonnaruwa?

Yes. Dengue in Polonnaruwa is five times its usual for these weeks.

36 cases a week, against a usual 7.1.

050100usual range2026JanAprJulOctWeek 3 of 2026: 19, as printedWeek 11 of 2026: 17, as printedWeek 12 of 2026: 2, as printedWeek 14 of 2026: 4, as printedWeek 16 of 2026: 3, as printedWeek 17 of 2026: 27, as printedWeek 32 of 2026: 47, as printedWeek 33 of 2026: 9, as printed

Weeks 3, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 32 and 33: 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 Polonnaruwa alone. What "usual" means.

When does dengue usually peak in Polonnaruwa?

Twice a year: most often around June and July (9 of 18 years), and around November and December (5).

2007: peaked in week 162009: peaked in week 272010: peaked in week 222011: peaked in week 222012: peaked in week 292013: peaked in week 332014: peaked in week 482015: peaked in week 82016: peaked in week 292017: peaked in week 282018: peaked in week 282019: peaked in week 482020: peaked in week 522021: peaked in week 12022: peaked in week 522023: peaked in week 212024: peaked in week 72025: peaked in week 24JFMAMJJASOND

One year's peak2025Now and the next ten weeks

From 18 years of weekly reports, 2007 to 2025: each dot is the month that year's dengue peaked in Polonnaruwa.

How does Polonnaruwa compare with the rest of Sri Lanka?

Polonnaruwa is 12th 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×Polonnaruwa

Across Sri Lanka as a whole, dengue is at 4.7× its usual; in Polonnaruwa it is 5.0×.

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.