Cases of Dengue are increasing in Nepal, and long queues can be seen outside Sukraraj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku of people awaiting to get their tests done. Nepal, on Saturday alone, registered 790 new cases of dengue.
As per the report of Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), there were 12217 registered cases of dengue till Friday and the number increased to 13007 on Saturday. The total cases dengue stood at a total of 5029 till 4 September 2022 – which means the cases have increased by 2.5 times in the span of 2 weeks.
Dengue is increasingly becoming a public health problem in the world, especially in developing countries – which means in countries like Nepal, dengue is here to stay. While awareness and sanitation plays a key role in decreasing the impact of dengue, Nepal should also formulate plans and policies which are aimed at reducing incidences of such high number of cases in the future.
According to a WHO Report, only 9 countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics before 1970. However, come 2022, the disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries. The number of dengue cases, reported to WHO, increased over 8-fold in the past two decades, from 505,430 cases in 2000, to over 2.4 million in 2010, and 5.2 million in 2019.
Similarly in Nepal, the first case of dengue was reported in 2004 and dengue cases have been gradually reported in Nepal since then. The dengue cases in 2022 are second-highest in any year – just after the cases in 2019 which was 17,992 in the total year.
Reported deaths between the year 2000 and 2015 increased from 960 to 4032, affecting mostly younger age groups. The total number of cases seemingly decreased during the years 2020 and 2021, as well as for reported deaths. However, the data is not yet complete and COVID-19 pandemic might have also hampered case reporting in several countries.
According to WHO, there is no medicine or cure for dengue fever that has been discovered till date and patients should rest, stay hydrated and seek medical advice. Depending on the clinical manifestations and other circumstances, patients may be sent home, referred for in-hospital management, or require emergency treatment.
The prevention method against dengue is to prevent mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats by disposing of solid waste properly and covering water storage containers; using personal protection measures such as mosquito repellents and coils; wearing clothing that minimise skin exposure to mosquitoes; educating high-risk communities about mosquito-borne diseases.