Over
1,200 people tested positive for the disease from the district, which was
previously considered non-endemic to dengue infections.
Along
with Sankhuwasabha, all 77 districts including mountainous districts have
reported the dengue virus.
“All
our presumptions and beliefs have become irrelevant in the case of the dengue
virus,” said Dr Gokarna Dahal, chief of the Vector Control Section at the
division. “This year too all mountain districts reported dengue infection, and
people from mountainous districts like Sankhuwasabha were the most affected.”
At
least 20 have died and over 50,000 people tested positive for the virus this
year and it continues to spread despite the decline in the onset of winter.
Public
health experts suspect health authorities are understating the number of
dengue-related deaths, as in several districts there are reports of more
casualties than what has been officially confirmed.
They say the real number of infected persons could be several
times higher, as the government’s case reporting system is ineffective and more
than 80 percent of cases are asymptomatic. Many people infected with dengue
show mild symptoms and do not need treatment or can be treated with paracetamol
at home.
Officials
at the Health Ministry had hoped that the spread of the virus would stop once
the temperature dipped. However, new dengue cases are being reported from
various districts every single day.
“Dengue
has become endemic in our country, as people are being infected with the virus
throughout the year for the past few years,” said Dahal. “We held meetings with
the agencies concerned and stakeholders of the highly affected districts and
discussed measures to cut down on the infection rate.”
Dengue
is a viral disease, transmitted by the female Aedes
aegypti and Aedes
albopictus mosquitoes. The same vector also transmits chikungunya,
yellow fever, and Zika virus, according to the World Health Organisation.
Last
year, 88 persons died and more than 54,000 were infected by the virus, which
had spread to all 77 districts. At the time, hospitals in
In
2019, the disease killed at least six people and more than 16,000 were hospitalised
across the country. The virus had spread to 68 districts at the time.
Epidemiologists
as well as virologists said dengue virus has of late emerged as a major public
health problem in
They believe that this lackadaisical approach is responsible for
the spread of the virus. They said measures such as search-and-destroy and
awareness drives should be initiated to contain the spread of virus-spreading
vectors.
A
report by the United Nations titled “Climate Change
2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” states that at least
six major vector-borne diseases have recently emerged in Nepal and are now
considered endemic, with climate change implicated as the primary driver.
The
report also showed increasing evidence that climate change has extended the
elevational distribution of Anopheles, Culex and Aedes mosquitoes, which carry
viruses to above 2,000 metres in
Dengue-transmitting
mosquitoes breed in clean water and bite people in daylight. Uncovered water
tanks and other discarded objects such as plastic cups and bottles could be
breeding grounds for the dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Symptoms
of dengue include mild to high fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, severe
headache and pain in the eyes, doctors say. Patients with these symptoms are
advised to seek immediate treatment.
While there is no specific cure for the disease, early detection
and access to proper medical care can prevent death.
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