Dharan Sub-metropolitan City has declared Wards 8 and 15 as crisis-hit zones after the Health Directorate of Province 1 announced a dengue emergency in the city.

As many as 188 people have been diagnosed with dengue in the two wards so far this year. Most of the patients are from Ward 15. The dengue patients are receiving treatment at tropical ward and emergency unit of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS).

Twenty-six people were admitted to the hospital on Thursday alone. The hospital is waiting for their test reports to confirm dengue in them.

A health team led by Dr Bhogendra Dotel, chief at the health directorate, inspected the dengue-affected areas on Thursday before declaring the dengue emergency.

“We have confirmed dengue epidemic in Dharan. Human health will be at high risk if the epidemic is not controlled. Local community should be mobilised to control the disease,” said Dotel.

“Mosquito eggs, larvae and pupae need to be destroyed in every house and in the dengue-affected areas before the monsoon begins.”

He added that the areas should have been declared as crisis-hit zones earlier and immediate actions should have been taken to control the spread of the disease.

The Social Development Committee of Province 1 also visited the dengue-affected areas on Thursday.

Sarita Khadka, the committee chief, and other lawmakers held discussions with the people’s representatives and the locals about the disease outbreak.

The committee also urged the authorities to provide free treatment to the dengue patients and set up a health desk at the BPKIHS.

Dr Bikash Sah, assistant director at the BPKIHS, said the health facility will provide free of cost treatment to dengue patients, as per the instruction of the sub-metropolis. He also urged Epidemiology and Disease Control Division to send additional 1000 dengue kits.

“There is a huge flow of patients in the emergency unit. We have 12 beds in the tropical ward for dengue patients,” said Sah.