KATHMANDU: Dengue infection has spread to 72 districts of Nepal so far.

Infection has been confirmed in 2,728 people since January this year as of Wednesday, Dr. Gokarna Dahal, official at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said.

So far, dengue infection has spread to 72 districts, he said with Bagmati Province and Lumbini Province having the highest number of cases.

However, cases of dengue have also been seen in other provinces.

Dr. Dahal said that 1,097 cases were found in Bagmati province alone and 666 cases in Lumbini.

According to him, Lalitpur district has reported as many as 1,056 cases since January.

Likewise, 377 cases have been reported in Rupandehi district, 332 in Kathmandu, 77 in Tehrathum, 76 in Dhading, and 61 in Sindhuli.

Similarly, only one or two cases have been found in some districts.

This is the first time dengue infection has been reported in 72 districts of the country.

Prior to this, in 2019, Nepal recorded a total of 18,000 cases. However, the infection was confirmed in 68 districts then.

Last year, dengue infection was confirmed in 58 districts with as many as 600 people confirmed with the disease.

The number of the infection cases has increased this time in Kathmandu, said Dr Bhupendra Basnet, acting administrative officer for Bir Hospital.

The hospital is treating many dengue patients, he added. The virus has been spotted mostly in most populated cities including the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

Nepal first confirmed dengue cases in 2004 and since then, the infection increased in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019, said infectious disease specialist Dr Anup Bastola.

Spotted mostly in the Tarai belt, it gradually started spreading to other parts too including Pokhara and Kathmandu since 2018, he said.