Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena has advised the officials to set up these special units in general and teaching hospitals island wide.

The Ministry will take steps to facilitate the special units with five intensive care beds each.

Already the government has set up fifteen special units for dengue patients in selected areas with high risk of dengue threat.

Epidemiology Unit of Sri Lanka Ministry of Health has marked 18 divisions Regional Medical Officers of Health in red as areas with high risk of dengue spread.

The Health Ministry recently issued a warning of a possible outbreak of dengue in the month of April due to the current warm weather conditions during the day and rain at night favoring the mosquito breeding.

The Health Ministry has identified ten districts and 18 MOH areas as high risk areas of dengue. The Districts are Colombo, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Gampaha, Kalutara, Hambantota, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Puttalam, and Kurunegala.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry has reported 3,215 cases of dengue and 31 deaths so far this year. Nearly one-third of the cases and 12 deaths have been reported from the Colombo district.