August 1: More than 5,000 people have been infected with dengue virus in the country. Sunsari district alone has more than half of those patients, according to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.
The division’s Director Rudra Prasad Marasini informed RSS that 5,688 individuals have been infected by the disease across the country since last January. Among them, Sunsari district alone recorded 3,486 dengue cases.
Marasini blamed people's recklessness behind the surge in infection. It has been raining continuously for some days and people have not paid attention to sanitation, thereby contributing to the alarming rise in spread of dengue, said Marasini.
As recent as a week back, there were only 4,619 cases of dengue in Nepal, but it ratcheted up quickly within a week, reaching 5,688.
Dengue is caused by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species of mosquito. They lay eggs on clean water. The eggs turn into larva and larva to adult mosquito. Bite of such mosquito is dreadful, for it causes the dengue infection. So, puddle must be removed around houses.
10 districts most affected
The state-owned RSS reported that Sunsari, Dhading, Kaski, Darchula, Kathmandu, Sankhuwasabha, Myagdi, Morang, Kanchanpur and Jhapa are the most affected districts. Sunsari alone has 3,486 cases while Kathmandu 96 and Jhapa 56.
The Koshi Province is the most affected state with 3,821 dengue cases while Madhes Province has the least number with 26 patients.
According to the RSS, four persons have lost their lives to dengue fever since last January in Nepal.
First case in Nepal
Dengue was first detected in Nepal in the year 2004. Cases of dengue fever increased in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
According to the available data, 32 infection cases were recorded in 2006 AD, 917 in 2010 AD, 686 in 2013 AD, 1,527 in 2016 AD, 2,111 in 2017 AD, 811 in 2018 AD, 17,992 in 2019 AD, 530 in 2020 AD and 540 in 2021 AD .
Climate change
The mosque-transmitted disease which was mostly found in Terai-Madhes has also been increasingly detected in mountainous cities, including Pokhara and Kathmandu since 2018.
With the rise in mercury level in mountainous region due to climate change, dengue cases have been detected in places where it was never reported before.
According to government officials, dengue patients have also been detected in Humla, Jumla, Mugu and Dolpa in recent years
Dengue Control Source Person and vector control officer Shyam Lal Acharya said mountainous region is becoming favourable for lifecycle of mosquitoes. Acharya requested all to adopt precaution as dengue-carrying mosquitoes are active till mid-October.
