Nepal is experiencing a surge in Dengue cases that started in July. Due to dengue, 50 people have died and more than 42,500 tested positive for the virus. Dengue is endemic in Nepal.
The disease has now spread to all 77 districts across Nepal. According to the WHO, the causative serotype(s) is unknown. This represents the largest dengue outbreak in Nepal with regard to the cumulative number of cases reported nationwide per year. Dengue cases skyrocketed during the rainy season in July. According to the WHO report, a total of 28 109 suspected and confirmed cases of dengue fever including 38 confirmed deaths have been reported from all provinces of Nepal, affecting all 77 districts in Nepal between January and September.
Dengue is a viral mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms. The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock), and death.
Millions of cases of dengue infection occur worldwide each year. Dengue fever is most common in Southeast Asia, the western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa. There’s no specific treatment or widely available vaccine for dengue.
This is the first time that there are so many dengue cases in Nepal. Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro, and yellow fever viruses. Amid a massive outbreak of dengue cases in Nepal, there is a risk of the spread of zika and chikungunya viruses as well.
Although the disease has engulfed so many people, the government’s responses and preparations to combat dengue fever remain inadequate. Nepal’s government shouldn’t be late to address the dengue outbreak, or else the cataclysm of dengue can cause a huge disaster.
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