Records contradict MP Namal’s biting claim on dengue cases this year

Fact Check

MP Namal Rajapaksa claimed that the highest number of dengue cases were recorded this year. He made this statement while responding to a question from reporters about the Clean Sri Lanka programme on 23 June 2026 to imply it is not successful.

To verify this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted data from the World Health Organisation’s Global Dengue Dashboard, which collects and reports global dengue surveillance data each month from Sri Lanka’s Epidemiology Unit and the National Dengue Control Unit of the Ministry of Health. Exhibit 1 shows the cumulative number of dengue cases reported for the period January 2017 to July 2026.

FactCheck.lk first assessed the claim using the latest complete monthly data available on the total number of reported dengue cases before the MP made his statement (that is, for the month of May). By the end of May 2026, Sri Lanka had reported 33,872 dengue cases cumulatively for the year from January onwards. This was lower than the totals recorded during the corresponding period in two previous years: (1) May 2017—with 52,029 cases cumulatively from January 2017; and (2) May 2023—with 38,009 cases cumulatively.

Dengue cases increased sharply during June 2026 (the month the MP made his claim), and cumulatively cases for 2026 exceeded the corresponding total for 2023. But it was still well below the number of cases in 2017 where it had gone up to 77,330, compared with 56,422 cases in 2026 (see Exhibit 1). Therefore, even after accounting for the sharp increase in cases recorded during June, the MP’s statement that 2026 had the highest number of reported cases, cannot be vindicated.

Therefore, we classify the MP’s statement as FALSE.

*FactCheck.lk’s verdict is based on the most recent information that is publicly accessible. As with every fact check, if new information becomes available, FactCheck.lk will revisit the assessment. 

Additional Note: Dengue surveillance data is collected by WHO Global Dengue Dashboard on a monthly basis and published during the following month. In Sri Lanka, dengue surveillance is carried out on a daily and weekly basis. As such, while the data has been compiled using official national statistics and aligned to monthly data as best as possible, there may be small discrepancies with nationally reported statistics (which are not consistently reported prior to 2022).

Exhibit 1: Total number of reported dengue cases by month (January 2017 to July 2026)