Upsurge in dengue infections raising alarms for Nepal

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Severe dengue cases have caused serious illness and deaths in many Asian countries. Mosquitoes that cause dengue breed in clean water and infect people in daylight. According to the World Health Organisation, there is no specific treatment for dengue disease till date. However, early detection of severe dengue can significantly lower its fatality rate.

Majority of the cases of dengue are mild and asymptomatic, while its symptoms are ; severe headache, pain behind the eyes , muscle and joint pains , nausea, vomiting , swollen glands and rash.

Urban and semi - urban areas are susceptible to the outbreak of dengue diseases, which puts much of Nepal’s population at risk. Millions of people living in Nepal’s city slums, found in an abundant number in the countries’ largest cities, with no sufficient living space are vulnerable to transmissible diseases like dengue. Doctor Sushil Chandra Baral, the managing director of Herd International, a leading research agency in Nepal dedicated to generating evidence for uplifting Nepal’s health systems says, “ The urban health system of Kathmandu is weak, it needs to be better planned considering the needs of the urban population, especially the poor and marginalised who always struggle to secure their health.”

 A 2020 study, ‘ The alarming outbreaks of dengue in Nepal’ has confirmed that dengue is spreading more and more in Nepal since the last five years. The largest dengue outbreak in Nepal was reported in 2019. That year saw over 16,000 hospitalizations with dengue fever. So far, researchers have identified global warming, unplanned urbanisation, increased transportation, and lack of efficient mosquito control to be the causes of the increasing spread of dengue in Nepal.

Mosquito breeding in public places has been found highly dangerous. Therefore the throwing of bottles, plastic boxes, tyres, coconut shells, broken cisterns or any other object that is capable of storing water should be avoided in public places, to reduce the breeding of dengue causing mosquitoes.

With the recent dengue outbreak, the World Health Organisation in Nepal, has prepared an informational video in the Nepali and English language, as a strategy to prevent the spread of dengue.