COLOMBO, June 15 -- Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa announced that the government will leverage international best practices to draft a comprehensive dengue elimination blueprint and upgrade hospital infrastructure to combat a sharp spike in infections nationwide.

The announcement followed a high-level emergency response meeting chaired by the minister at the ministry premises on Monday (15), intentionally coinciding with the launch of National Dengue Elimination Week, which runs through June 20.

Faced with a rapidly expanding outbreak, Minister Jayatissa ordered an immediate emergency coordination meeting for officials representing 14 high-risk districts. The targeted regions include Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kega...