KATHMANDU: World Mosquito Day is being observed in Nepal today with the slogan “Small Bite, Big Challenge” through various awareness programmes aimed at preventing mosquito-borne diseases and educating the public about their risks.
Mosquito bites can transmit several diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, kala-azar, scrub typhus, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and Japanese encephalitis. So far, 168 mosquito species have been identified in Nepal.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population and the Department of Health Services, around 18,710 people were affected by mosquito- and other vector-borne diseases in Nepal during the last fiscal year.
Health officials have warned that the risk of mosquito-borne diseases has expanded to higher Himalayan areas in recent years, partly due to the impacts of climate change.
The Department of Health Services said it has been implementing various measures to control vector-borne diseases, including establishing laboratories in all seven provinces.
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