Are dengue cases really slowing down?

The deadly dengue infection which had significantly increased with the onset of rainfall has now slowed down. The infection became so deadly that there were reports that over 5,000 dengue cases had been detected in a single week when the infection reached its peak.

A total of 17,017 dengue cases were reported in October followed by 27,029 in September. However, the infection slowed down with the beginning of the winter season, according to health ministry officials.    

According to Division Director Dr Chumanlal Das the infection has gone down over the past two weeks. The figure is expected to make a significant fall in the next two weeks, he added.    

Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital’s director Dr Manisha Rawal informed that now there are only nine dengue patients in the hospital and among them, three are receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Units while the remaining six are in the general ward.    

 The Winter season is not suitable for the breeding of mosquitoes causing dengue. So, the spread of the disease is likely to go down. In Nepal, the highest number of dengue cases was 50,263 since its first case reported in 2004. The infection was highest between mid-June and mid-October. The country reported no dengue cases in 2005 following its first case in 2004 and the infection reemerged in 2006 with the detection of 32.    

The death toll from the infection this year so far rose to 54, according to the Division. Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital’s information officer, Ram Bikram Adhikari, informed that currently 20 patients are being treated for dengue at the hospital.     The World Health Organisation states dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.