HIV infections in Sri Lanka have risen since 2023 and the trend has continued into 2026, the Sri Lanka College of Sexual Health and HIV Medicine (SLCoSHH) said on Wednesday.
College President and Consultant Venereologist Dr. Nimali Jayasuriya told a media briefing organised by the Ministry of Health and Mass Media that annual syphilis cases have grown from around 80 to 100 before 2021 to about 1,500. Hepatitis B cases reported in 2026 have doubled compared with the previous year, she said, while hepatitis C cases rose about fourfold in 2025.
Dr. Jayasuriya said Colombo records the highest number of HIV cases, and that about seven men are affected for every woman. She said the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted prevention programmes, and named internet access, the economic crisis and drug use, including injecting drug use, as contributing factors.
She said Sri Lanka continues to provide free HIV treatment, including newer medicines with fewer side effects, but that current prevention and awareness programmes are not sufficient.
The college will hold its 31st Annual Academic Sessions from 29 to 31 October at ITC Ratnadipa in Colombo, with the British HIV Association.
