Dengue fever active cases hit 3,084, while cholera cases reach 47
KATHMANDU, AUGUST 10
The number of cholera and dengue cases has increased throughout the nation. However, cholera has only been reported in five districts. Each district has a distinct focal outbreak that is unrelated to the others.
According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division of the Ministry of Health and Population, the number of dengue patients reached 3,084 last Friday, with 722 new cases reported in the last four days.
EDCD claimed mosquito-borne infection has spread throughout the country with the exception of Mustang, Dolpa, Jumla, and Humla districts.
Tanahu district has the most dengue-infected patients (583), while Kathmandu district has 307 confirmed cases, followed by Kaski with (166) and Jhapa with (135).
With the increase in dengue cases, the Ministry has urged all public and private offices to launch 'Larva search and destroy' campaigns while maintaining basic hygiene and sanitation. According to reports, the government has also announced that dengue patients will receive free treatment in public healthcare facilities.
Similarly, the number of cholera cases has been increasing recently. There are 47 cases of cholera detected across the country till date.
According to the EDCD report, cholera cases were confirmed in Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Pyuthan, Kailali, and Rupandehi districts, with Lalitpur having the most cases (34), and Rupandehi having the fewest (one).
As of August yesterday, 47 cases of cholera had been identified in Nepal, including Lalitpur (34), Kathmandu (2), Kailali District (8), Pyuthan (2), and Rupandehi (1).
As of today, no deaths from acute watery diarrhoea or cholera had been reported. Five districts have reported cholera. Each district has distinct focal outbreaks that are unrelated to one another.
In Lalitpur, a 16-year-old male with suspected diarrhoea and vomiting was diagnosed with cholera on July 22. Additional ten cases with links to the first case have been reported, all of whom live in the rehabilitation centre (67 residents) in Godawari Municipality-14. The remaining cases are not related to the rehabilitation centre and are associated with the flooding in Lalitpur.
On July 25, two cases of culture-confirmed cholera were reported from Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan, Kailali. An additional investigation revealed six culture-confirmed cases in a congregated household with six families. So far, no new cases have been detected.
On July 29, in Kathmandu, one new case from Balkhu was discovered. There have been two stool-confirmed cases of cholera reported to date. Local RRT is actively investigating cases in Balkhu.
On July 4, in Pyuthan, two new culture-confirmed cases of cholera were reported from Gaumukhi Rural Municipality, Pyuthan in Lumbini Province. Since August 1, ten suspected cases from the same family have shown symptoms of AWD. A member of the family has previously visited India. There was no new case detected. On July 9, Rupandehi confirmed one case of cholera in Butwal.
Cholera has long been endemic in Nepal, with sporadic outbreaks occurring. The majority of cases are reported as a large outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD), with a few being reported as Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) or culture-confirmed Cholera cases through the national EWARS system. The country is at high risk of outbreaks due to a steady increase in urban population density, an insufficient supply of safe drinking water, and pre-existing sanitation and sewage infrastructure deficiencies.
Some of the contributing factors include chlorine-untreated community supply water used for drinking, heavy rainfall and drainage overflow contaminate water sources, and inadequate monitoring mechanisms for food hygiene. According to the EDCD, there are insufficient resources to conduct effective response activities in hot spots due to rapid in and out migration and urbanisation.
Cholera, on the other hand, is a relatively simple disease to treat. When administered promptly, oral rehydration solution (ORS) can effectively treat the vast majority of people. The WHO/UNICEF ORS standard sachet is dissolved in a litre of clean water. Adult patients may require up to 6 litres of ORS on the first day to treat moderate dehydration.
"Cholera can be easily treated if patients arrive at the hospital on time, as there is ample evidence that suggests mortality could be reduced by more than 90%," Mukesh Paudel, section chief of the Epidemiology Outbreak Section, told THT.
