Sunsari, August 6

The dengue outbreak that gripped Dharan of Sunsari about three months ago is yet to be contained fully.

First seen in just two persons in Dharan-15 on May 14, the outbreak spiralled out of control and spread to the entire sub-metropolis and  beyond.

While the death toll from the outbreak stands at three in Dharan alone, two other casualties due to the disease have been reported from Jhapa and Morang districts.

So far over 10,000 have been infected  by the mosquito-borne disease in Dharan alone and still hundreds  affected by the disease are reaching different health facilities, including  BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences and Bijayapur Hospital on a daily basis.

According to the sub-metropolis acting Mayor Manju  Bhandari Subedi, the municipality has re-started its dengue-control  campaign in a bid to control the outbreak.

“As  the outbreak showed no sign of relenting, we had to restart the campaign  against it. Now, each and every house will be monitored and search and  destroy campaign will be launched. Coordination will also be maintained with  various campuses in the city to control the outbreak,” informed  Subedi. “While there will also be an awareness campaign, we’ve also  asked for necessary help from the provincial and federal  governments,” she added.

BPKIHS acting vice-chancellor Guru Prasad  Khanal said the institute had been providing free  test and treatment to dengue patients. “As for serious patients,  we’ve added eight beds in the tropical ward, while others are  being treated in other wards. Priority has been  given to treatment of dengue patients,” he said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Hemanta Khanal of Microbiology Department in the Central Technology Campus in Hattisar, Dharan, expressed concern about the fact that  dengue patients were kept outside mosquito nets even during treatment.

“A dengue patient should always be kept inside a mosquito net so that mosquitoes can’t bite him and spread the disease to others, but that is not  happening in Dharan,” he said, adding that the outbreak cannot be controlled  until the mosquito breed spreading the disease, its larvae and its  habitat are destroyed completely.

On his part, Dharan sub-metropolis  Health Section Chief Rambabu Yadav blamed the locals’ negligence for failure to control the outbreak. “Dengue can be controlled if locals are serious about sanitation, but as they have not done the needful, the outbreak is going out of hand,” he said.

READ ALSO:

• Climate change triggers dengue in unsuspecting areas