COLOMBO, July 6 -- Sri Lanka's dengue outbreak continued to intensify on Monday (6), with confirmed infections surpassing 61,000 and hospitals in the worst-affected areas coming under mounting pressure as health authorities warned the country was entering a critical phase of the epidemic.

The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) said a total of 61,060 dengue cases and 39 deaths had been recorded so far this year, with 2,604 new infections reported during the past 24 hours alone. The current case fatality rate stands at 0.06%.

The Western Province remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 32,054 cases, or 52.5% of all infections reported nationwide.

Colombo District has recorded the highest number of infections at 12,445, clo...