There should have been better coordination among the three tiers of government to control dengue

Dengue has taken the form of an epidemic with the rising number of cases across the country since July. As many as 32 people have already lost their lives within two months, and there is no sign of it letting up as the monsoon is still active. As many as 26,000 people are reported to have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease, which has become fatal to those who already have a pre-existing health condition. More than half of the infected people from the disease are from the Kathmandu Valley and over 82 per cent of the cases were reported in September alone. Health officials have warned that dengue will remain active for the next five weeks or till the Tihar and Chhath festival. Dengue is sure to spread in the rural parts of the country as many more people – at least one million – are leaving the Kathmandu Valley for their homes to celebrate the Dashain festival. The situation in the valley has turned from bad to worse as the authorities concerned have done little to launch a "search and destroy larvae' campaign and other preventive measures to control the disease.

Unavailability of paracetamol tablets, which is the only drug used to control the fever, in the local drug stores has made the situation even more precarious.

The federal government had asked the local levels through the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to launch a drive to search and destroy mosquitoes and their larvae that carry the dengue virus. But the local governments' apathy regarding such initiatives to mitigate the impact of the disease has become evident.

There should have been better coordination among the three tiers of government to control the disease that has already affected such a large number of people across the country. Apart from dengue, Japanese encephalitis and scrub typhus, both of which are fatal, has also affected the people, mainly in the Tarai.

No sooner had the people started recovering from the coronavirus pandemic than the deadly dengue, Japanese encephalitis and scrub typhus have gripped the entire country. Dengue starts showing symptoms of high fever of up to 105 degrees within one week of being bitten by the infected female mosquito (Aedes aegypti). The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person infected with the virus. After about a week, the mosquito can then transmit the virus while biting a healthy person. As there is no prescribed medicine to cure the virus, the only way to stay safe from dengue is to wear long-sleeved clothes from head to toe while venturing out of the room, keeping the surrounding areas free from fresh water that has collected in water jars, tyres and potholes.

People should use mosquito nets while sleeping and mosquito repellents to stay safe from dengue. The local levels, which have the responsibility of controlling communicable diseases and raising awareness in their localities, must become active to destroy the condition that creates an environment for the rapid growth of mosquitoes and larvae. However, they appear to be more focussed on the upcoming general election than controlling dengue, Japanese encephalitis and scrub typhus. Safeguarding the people from such diseases should be the top priority of the three tiers of government. They simply cannot pass the buck to others during a crisis.

Low flower demand

With the start of the Dashain festival, there should have been a spurt in the demand for flowers.

However, traders are disheartened by the decrease in both demand and production. Like all other businesses, floriculture has suffered immensely from the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is only in recent times that the business is starting to pick up. However, demand for flowers this Dashain has been discouraging compared to the previous years. The decreasing purchasing power of the people could be one of the reasons for the slump in the demand for flowers this year. The war in Ukraine since February has pushed up the cost of everything in the market, in particular food products, leaving very little for expenses for non-essentials like flowers.

Floriculture has come a long way in Nepal, when just decades back the country relied totally on imports from India. But the business can only thrive if there is a demand for flowers round the year and especially during the festive season, as we are unable to export them. Let us hope that the demand for flowers will shoot up during Tihar, the festival of lights which follows Dashain, when all households and businesses spend heavily on flowers for decoration.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 28, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.