Amid a rise in pre-monsoon rainfall activities, hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley have reported a surge in snakebites, fever, diarrhoea and jaundice cases.

Doctors anticipate more cases of the ailments in the coming days, as the monsoon is about to start. This is considered an epidemic season, in which hundreds of thousands of people get infected with water-borne and vector-borne diseases and snakebites.

“Over six to eight snakebite victims seek treatment in our hospital daily,” said Dr Bimal Sharma Chalise of Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital. “Number of patients seeking snakebite treatment has gone up after a rise in rainfall activities.”

Along with water-borne and vector-borne diseases, snakebites and resulting deaths are common in Nepal during the rainy season.

Each year, around 2,700 people, mostly children and women from Nepal’s Tarai region, die of snake bites, according to a March 2022 report published in The Lancet, a leading international medical journal.

Along with snakebite cases,the number of patients infected with diarrheal ailments, fever and jaundice has also risen in the hospital.

“Most of the snakebite victims seeking care at our hospital are either from the districts of Kathmandu Valley or from the districts adjoining the Valley,” said Chalise. “Most of the snakebite victims are farmers, women and children who work or play in the fields or go to the jungle to collect fodder for their cattle.”

Diarrhoeal disease is a common and seasonal public health issue usually triggered by food and water safety or hygiene issues. The disease, which has been associated with higher temperatures, is one of Nepal’s leading causes of morbidity and mortality.

Doctors at the hospital say around half a dozen diarrheal patients are also seeking treatment every day. Similarly, patients having jaundice and fever due to typhoid are also seeking care at the hospital.

Typhoid fever, usually called typhoid, is a highly contagious disease caused by Salmonella typhi, which spreads through contaminated food or water. Studies have shown that the disease can be fatal in up to 10 percent of the reported cases.

Typhoid fever has been found throughout the world, but the problem is acute in areas without safe drinking water and sanitation. Nepal has also recorded major typhoid outbreaks in the past, but very few cases have been reported in the last few years.

Nepal introduced the typhoid vaccine in the routine vaccination programme in 2022.

The Ministry of Health and Population launched a month-long nationwide vaccination campaign against typhoid, during which around seven million children between the ages of 15 months and 15 years were inoculated.

“Cases of water-borne diseases and snakebite have started to spike of late,” said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Hospital. “We should all be cautious about the food and water we eat and drink. We must ensure that food and water is safe before eating.”

Public health experts have urged authorities to launch an awareness drive against the risks. They say that people living in thatched-roof houses are also highly vulnerable to snakebite, as snakes visit such homes in search of rats. They say that people should be asked to keep their houses and surroundings clean, prevent children from playing in the bush, avoid walking at night, and use torchlights while walking in the dark.

“Most of the water resources get contaminated during monsoon season, as rainwater gets mixed in the water resources,” Pun said.