Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday attributed the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in Colombo to the city’s high population density, while noting that reported cases have been on a declining trend since 2023.
Responding to an oral question raised by MP Mujibur Rahuman, in Parliament yesterday (23), Jayatissa said 968 TB cases were reported in Colombo city in 2025, down from 1,064 cases in 2024.
According to figures presented by the Minister, Colombo city recorded 871 cases in 2019, with the number falling to 736 in 2020 before rising to 796 in 2021.
Cases then increased sharply to 1,093 in 2022 and 1,130 in 2023—the highest recorded during the 2019–2025 period—before declining over the following two years.
Jayatissa said 25% of the TB cases reported in the Colombo District originate within the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) limits.
The Colombo District recorded 2,264 TB cases in 2015, followed by 2,156 in 2016, 2,051 in 2017 and 2,088 in 2018, according to the figures tabled in Parliament.
The Minister also said the failure of some TB patients to seek proper medical treatment was contributing to the continued spread of the disease.
However, he said the Government was providing free medication and appropriate treatment to TB patients, while mobile treatment services and X-ray examinations were being carried out as part of efforts to contain the disease.
Jayatissa said the continued decline in cases in Colombo city, particularly the reduction recorded in 2025, indicated a positive trend in efforts to control the spread of TB.