KATHMANDU: A total of 40,531 cases of dengue have been confirmed in Nepal leading to the loss of 20 lives since the beginning of 2023.

While the rate of infection is declining in districts, including Sunsari, Jhapa, Dhading, Morang, and other previously heavily affected districts, it is now rising in Gorkha, Kaski, Tanahun, and Kathmandu.

In most of the hospitals within the Valley, the number of patients being admitted due to complications arising from dengue continues to escalate.

Experts have warned that the risk of dengue infections might further escalate in certain districts.

As per the latest data from the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, the outbreak of dengue, which had turned into a pandemic in the Kathmandu Valley last year, has shown an upward trend in several districts, including the Valley, over the past few days.

Reports from the Division reveal that dengue infections have been recorded in 76 districts this year.

Although dengue is not a disease that spreads directly from one person to another, it is communicable through mosquitoes.

If a mosquito bites an infected person and subsequently bites another individual, the risk of transmission to the latter also increases.

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Sher Bahadur said, “The risk of infection is particularly high in areas where mosquito breeding is prevalent. The virus remains in the system of the infected individual, and when a local mosquito bites them, it can contract the virus and potentially transmit it to others.”

Recent statistics from the Department indicate a gradual increase in the rate of infections.

Hospitals are reporting a consistent influx of patients exhibiting symptoms akin to dengue.

Despite the end of the monsoon season, dengue infections continue to persist across Nepal, underscoring the challenge posed by this persistent disease in the country.