President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office said on Tuesday that members of the army, navy and air force would join a specialized task force responsible for identifying and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds across the country.

The move comes as health authorities reported nearly 50,000 dengue infections and 29 related deaths so far this year. While the figures remain below the country’s record 2017 outbreak, officials warned that the recent acceleration in case numbers poses a significant public health challenge.

Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, a species recognized by its black-and-white striped legs and known to breed in stagnant water. The disease can cause high fever, severe headaches, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain, while severe cases may lead to internal bleeding and death.

In a statement, the president’s office said authorities would intensify enforcement measures against individuals and institutions found to be allowing mosquito breeding sites on their properties.

“Laws will also be strictly enforced against those allowing mosquito breeding on their premises, in addition to setting up the special military unit,” the statement said.

A nationwide cleanup campaign targeting stagnant water and other mosquito breeding areas is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has recorded a sharp increase in infections since early June, including more than 1,000 cases reported in a single day this week, according to official health data.

Kapila Kannangara, head of the government’s dengue control unit, said both public and private hospitals were already facing mounting pressure from the surge in patients.

“Hospitals are already under pressure,” Kannangara told reporters in Colombo. “We don’t want to have a situation like the one we faced in 2017.”

The country’s worst dengue epidemic occurred in 2017, when authorities recorded approximately 186,000 infections and 440 deaths, overwhelming healthcare facilities and prompting emergency response measures.

Health officials attributed the latest increase in cases to a combination of monsoon rains, stagnant water left behind by recent flooding and poor waste management practices that have created favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

The World Health Organization has previously warned that climate change is contributing to the faster spread and broader geographic reach of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

The three nations signed the pact for the hub during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, the first by a global leader since Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in September.

New Delhi and Colombo have worked to deepen ties as India’s southern neighbour recovers from a severe financial crisis triggered in 2022, during which India provided $4 billion in financial assistance.

Saturday’s agreement boosts New Delhi’s competition with China, whose state energy firm Sinopec (600028.SS) has signed a deal to build a $3.2-billion oil refinery in Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Hambantota.

The energy hub in the strategically important city of Trincomalee, a natural harbour in the Sri Lanka’s east, will involve construction of a multi-product pipeline and may include using a World War Two tank farm partly held by the Sri Lankan subsidiary of Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in Colombo.

“The UAE is a strategic partner for India in the energy space and therefore was an ideal partner for this exercise that is being done for the first time in the region,” Misri said. “The exact contours of UAE’s role will be elaborated once the business to business discussions kick off.”

The three nations will next choose business entities that will consider the financing and feasibility of projects for the hub, he said.

Modi also inaugurated a $100 million solar power project, a joint venture between Ceylon Electricity Board and India’s National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC.NS).

India and Sri Lanka also concluded their debt restructuring process, Foreign Secretary Misri said. Sri Lanka owes about $1.36 billion in loans to EXIM Bank of India and State Bank of India, according to Sri Lanka Finance Ministry data.

Colombo kicked off debt restructuring talks after it defaulted on its debt in May 2022, signing a preliminary deal with bilateral creditors Japan, India and China last June.

India and Sri Lanka also signed pacts on power grid connectivity, digitalisation, security and healthcare.