October 11: Death toll from the outbreak of dengue has reached 44 in Nepal. According to the state-owned national news agency RSS, the mosquito-borne viral disease has spread to 76 out of 77 districts in the country.

A total of 33,975 people have been infected by dengue since it was first reported in early August, RSS reported citing the Ministry of Health and Population.

Experts believe that this disease, which was only reported in the southern belt of Nepal in the past, is now seen in mountainous districts due to the impact of global warming.

Various studies have indicated that mosquitoes have moved to higher altitude due to warmer temperatures fuelled by climate change.

Meanwhile, 27 people tested positive for COVID-19 infection on Monday. The infection rate was confirmed from a total of 1,546 samples tested on the day.    

RSS further reported that President Bidya Devi Bhandari has also been infected with SARS--CoV 2 virus. According to RSS, the Head-of-the-State was hospitalized on October 8 after she complained of fever and flu-like symptoms. She is receiving the treatment at the Annex ward bed number 601 of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

According to RSS, the hospital’s information officer Ram Bikram Adhikari confirmed that the president’s PCR report tested positive for COVID-19.

The number of active cases of coronavirus is 569. The death toll from COVID-19 stands at 12,018 till date.