KATHMANDU: Dengue and cholera infections have surged across various parts of the country with the onset of the rainy season.
According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, dengue infections have spread to 75 districts.
Dr. Gokarna Prasad Dahal, Head of the Department of Entomological Disease Branch, confirmed that all districts except Humla and Mustang have reported dengue cases.
A total of 5,119 people have been infected with dengue across these 75 districts, and three deaths have been reported so far this year.
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species of mosquitoes, which thrive in clean, standing water where they lay their larvae.
In the Kathmandu Valley, 421 cases have been reported in Kathmandu, 58 in Bhaktapur, and 79 in Lalitpur.
During the rainy season, water accumulation provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which transmit dengue to humans through bites.
In response to the surge in dengue cases, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged the public to participate in a “Search and Destroy Mosquitoes” campaign every Friday in government and non-government offices and hospital premises.
The government has also decided to cover the treatment costs for dengue patients at government hospitals.
In addition to dengue, cholera infections have been reported in 67 cases nationwide.
Dr. Dahal noted that cholera cases have been confirmed in Lalitpur (47), Kathmandu (9), Kailali (8), Pyuthan (2), and Makwanpur (1).
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