More than 30 cases of dengue have been reported in various parts of Hetauda sub-metropolis in the past week. With more cases of the mosquito-borne disease reported, health authorities have directed local units to remain alert.

According to Shashikanta Singh, chief of the Hetauda health office, blood samples from 12 patients in the Hetauda Hospital and 18 patients in other private health facilities tested positive for dengue.

“The number of dengue cases is on the rise. We are on high alert after the initial outbreak,” said Singh.

In the last fiscal year, only five people in the district had come down with dengue. The rise in the number of dengue patients in the first few weeks of this fiscal year has caused concern among health officials in the district.

“The health office doesn’t have the budget to start a drive to destroy mosquito breeding grounds. Therefore, we request local residents to exercise caution and stay safe from dengue-causing mosquitoes,” said Singh.

But Supendra Karki, chief of the Hetauda Health Coordination Unit, said that they have started destroying mosquito larvae, mosquito breeding grounds and spraying insecticide in the affected areas. “In the first phase, we are raising awareness in the affected areas and have also requested Tol Development Committees to destroy mosquito habitats,” said Karki.

Every day, more than 20 people are visiting the hospital for dengue and scrub typhus tests. According to Singh, Hetauda, along with Manahari and Bakaiya rural municipalities, has already been declared a dengue-prone area so that immediate action can be taken to prevent the disease from turning into an epidemic.

Bhup Narayan Yadav, chief of the health office laboratory in Makwanpur, said that they are prepared with the necessary dengue kits. “But, given the increase in the number of patients in the past week alone, we’ve sent our staff to Kathmandu to bring back more kits,” said Yadav.

Dengue is a disease contracted from mosquitoes belonging to the Aedes aegypti genus. Doctors said that its symptoms range from mild fever to incapacitating high fever, severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, and skin rashes.

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