Nepal: dengue cases reported in mountain districts before the monsoon

According to official health data, seventeen out of twenty-one mountain districts in Nepal have reported dengue cases since the beginning of the year. The only mountain districts free from infections are Rasuwa, Manang, Dolpa, and Humla. At the national level, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said that 71 districts have already reported over 1100 dengue cases this year, well before the start of the critical monsoon season. The rise in cases is due to disease vectors (female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes) spreading to hill and mountain regions. According to Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, the next massive outbreak of dengue could occur in mountain districts, where health facilities are less prepared to manage the disease.
Dengue became endemic in Nepal several years ago, with cases detected throughout the year. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Kathmandu and its surroundings remain the area with the highest number of reported cases. However, medical experts noted that reported cases may represent only a small fraction of the true scale of infection, as around 90 percent of the infected people are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, and many deaths and infections often go undetected. Epidemiologists and virologists also warned that dengue has become a major public health problem for Nepal, urging authorities to take the threat seriously and implement measures to tackle it.