Dengue infection affecting residents of hilly region of Sudurpaschim

NL Today

  • Read Time 2 min.

Sudurpaschim: In Sudurpaschim province, dengue infection caused by mosquito bites is increasing in the hilly districts. Malaria, dengue, and other diseases, which are mostly seen in areas of the Terai region, have recently been seen to be increasing in hilly districts as well.

Hemraj Joshi, vector control officer of the Health Directorate of Sudurpaschim Province, said that with the increase in the population of mosquitoes in the hilly districts, dengue infection has also been increasing recently.

According to Joshi, dengue infection has been noted in 140 people in Sudurpaschim since mid-January. Doti district of the province has the highest number of patients infected by dengue.

“At least 47 people have been infected by dengue since mid-January in Doti alone,” Joshi added.

According to the Health Directorate of Sudurpaschim, 26 people have been infected in Achham, 24 in Kanchanpur, 15 in Bajura, 10 in Darchula, nine in Kailali, four in Bajhang, three in Dadeldhura, and two in Baitadi.

During the rainy season, there is always a risk of dengue infection outbreaks in the Terai region of the country, but this time dengue is infecting people in the hilly region as well.

The officials of the Directorate said that over last few years, the infection has started to be seen simultaneously in the hilly districts of Sudurpaschim as well as the Terai districts.

“To control dengue infection, the government of Sudurpaschim province has managed testing kits and drugs, increased the capacity of trained health workers along with doctors, and managed separate wards and beds for infected people in the hospitals of the province,” said Joshi.

The local units of the province are also conducting vaccination programs and destroying mosquitoes’ eggs and larvae after identifying places where the possibility of mosquitoes is high.

According to the Directorate, in the year 2023, 1,194 people were found infected with dengue in Sudurpaschim, while four people died of the infection.