A special mosquito control programme covering 60 dengue high-risk zones in 11 districts will commence tomorrow, the National Dengue Control Unit stated.

The initiative operates through the coordination of the Clean Sri Lanka programme.

The year 2017 was marked the highest number of dengue patients, with the figure noted at 186,101 with the average daily reporting of dengue patients stood at 510.

Health sectors warn that the country approaches the high-risk situation observed in 2017, as the dengue patient count has already exceeded 67,000 margin.

Meanwhile, the number of daily reported patients continuously exceeds the 1,000 threshold. Accordingly, the number of dengue patients recorded so far this year exceeds 67,000, while the fatalities reach 47.

During the month of June, 21,538 dengue patients were reported, and 11,764 dengue patients were recorded within just the first 10 days of July.

At present, the number of designated dengue high-risk zones across the country increased to 175.

Meanwhile, numerous programmes commenced with the aim of controlling the spread of the dengue disease in many areas.