Health authority in Mahottari has issued dengue alert in and around Bardibas Municipality.

Dr Rajiv Jha, chief of District Health Office, said the advisory was announced after two persons from the town were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease recently.

Fearing that dengue cases could increase in the coming days, the DHO has urged people to take necessary precaution and visit their nearest health facilities if they feel unwell.  

Meanwhile, the municipal authority has started a drive to destroy mosquito larvae in the town. Last year, dengue had affected as many as 847 people in Mahottari district.

Dengue is an infectious disease usually contracted from mosquitoes belonging to the Aedes Aegypti genus. Its symptoms range from mild fever to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain in muscles and joints, and rashes.

Bardibas Mayor Bidur Karki said that the municipality has started a clean-up drive and awareness programme in the town to contain dengue spread.  

According to the DHO, Bardibas is kept under high-risk area because the town is connected to Dhanusha and Sarlahi districts, where dengue incidence is high.