In a worst-case scenario, up to 60,000 people across the country could get infected with the dengue virus this year. This is an estimation of the Ministry of Health and Population.

The number of people requiring hospitalisation for treatment and whether existing health facilities can cope with the patient flow have yet to be determined.

Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel has come up with a ‘noble idea’—halting all construction activities for four months to lessen the scourge of dengue-spreading mosquitoes.

He floated the idea, which experts called ‘bizarre’, at a function organised to launch a month-long nationwide dengue campaign.

Public health experts and entomologists rejected the idea outright, as dengue fever became endemic in the country years ago.

“In our country, people get infected with the dengue virus throughout the year,” said Dr Baburam Marasini, former director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. “If we start halting construction activities to prevent the spread of the dengue virus, we have to stop work throughout the year.”

Marasini said the breeding grounds of the vectors spreading dengue virus can be anywhere—houses, offices, academic institutions, vehicle workshops, discarded plastic cups and tyres on the road.

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organisation, the same vector also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever, and the Zika virus.

Since January, at least 1,983 people from 73 districts have tested positive for the dengue virus. The deadly virus has not yet been reported in four out of 21 mountain districts—Rasuwa of Bagmati province, Manang of Gandaki province, and Humla and Dolpa of Karnali provinces this year.

In 2024, 15 people died, and 41,865 others were infected as the virus spread to 76 districts. In 2023, 88 persons succumbed and more than 54,000 were infected by the virus, which had spread to all 77 districts.

At the time, hospitals in Kathmandu Valley were overwhelmed with dengue patients, and pharmacies had run out of paracetamol, the most widely used medicine to treat fever.

Experts say reported cases may represent only a small fraction of the true scale of infection, as around 90 percent of the infected people are asymptomatic, and many deaths and infections often go unreported.

Many people infected with dengue show mild symptoms, which do not need any treatment or can be managed with paracetamol at home.

Since dengue became endemic in Nepal years ago, meaning people get infected throughout the year, health officials no longer classify it as an outbreak of a deadly virus.

Meanwhile, the health ministry on Thursday launched a month-long campaign against the dengue virus. Officials hope that the campaign will be owned by all agencies concerned and local units throughout the country and carry out activities accordingly.

However, many local units, including local governments in Kathmandu district, are unaware of the campaign.

“We knew about the campaign from the media,” said an official at the health department of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, asking not to be quoted as the person is not authorised to speak publicly. “We have been planning an awareness drive on our own, which we will start within two weeks.”

Entomologists say that, along with launching a search-and-destroy drive on a regular basis, authorities should also focus on a multisectoral approach, community engagement, door-to-door campaign, and strengthening the capacity of health facilities to handle possible outbreaks.

“Chanting slogans on the streets against dengue spreading mosquitoes or halting construction activities will not stop dengue spread,” said Sishir Panta, an entomologist. “Without participation of each and every household, it is impossible to contain the spread of dengue virus. Door-to-door campaigns become effective in controlling the spread of dengue virus.”

Experts also suggest regular monitoring of construction sectors, houses and offices to check if larvae of dengue mosquitoes are thriving in such places.

Dengue-transmitting mosquitoes breed in clean water and bite people in daylight. Uncovered water tanks and discarded objects such as plastic cups and bottles could be breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

According to doctors, mild to high fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, acute headache and pain in the eyes are some symptoms of dengue. Doctors advise those with these symptoms to seek immediate treatment. While there is no specific cure for the disease, early detection and access to proper medical care can lower fatalities.

Nepal reported its first dengue case in a foreigner in 2004 in Chitwan district. Since then, an increasing number of dengue infections, including major outbreaks, have been reported from many districts.

The World Health Organisation says there is no specific cure for severe dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care can save lives.