Dengue is a break-bone fever which is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates. Most people who get dengue won’t have symptoms. But for those that do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash.
Dengue is transmitted by female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The same vector also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, according to the World Health Organisation.
There has been a massive outbreak of Dengue this year as the mansoon have already arrived especially in the Terai region of Nepal. Mainly, the regions such as Morang, Sunsari and Jhapa are getting affected and many people are getting affected by it and it has come at a point that there is being shortage of hospital and hospital beds.
As the mansoon has arrive, it is also bringing different kinds of diseases especially dengue. Dengue has become one of the biggest problems of Terai region as the mosquitoes get the suitable temperature for it to servive.
So, B.P Koirala Institute of Health and Science has set up separate hospital inside its premises for Dengue Patients.
A 30-bed dengue hospital came into operation on Sunday to tackle the rising cases of dengue in Dharan and its neighbouring areas.
According to BPKIHS acting vice-chancellor Prof Dr Prahlad Karki, the 100-bed capacity Covid-19 hospital, which was set up during the pandemic, has been transformed into a 30-bed dengue hospital for the time being.
The Covid-19 hospital was turned into a dengue hospital as the number of dengue patients has shot up in the past few weeks.
The building, which was used as a Covid-19 hospital earlier, was built eight years ago by the Urban Development and Building Department with the help of the Peace Fund Secretariat of the then Peace and Reconstruction Ministry at a cost of Rs 120 million. The building was handed over to the BPKIHS for the free treatment of the injured and disabled victims of the 10-year civil war.
In the last few days, 60-75 people infected with dengue have been coming to the central emergency ward of the hospital.
BPKIHS Deputy Director Dr Indra Limbu said that the dengue hospital 0is being funded through internal resources.
BPKIHS joint spokesperson Chudamani Pokharel said that admitting dengue patients in a separate facility would take the pressure off the central emergency ward, and treating those who are seriously ill due to other reasons would be easier.
In 2019, Dharan faced an outbreak of dengue with around 11,000 people infected, according to the sub-metropolis’s health unit. But it seems that it also repeating itself as it is said that history repeats itself. As, at least 88 people died and over 54,000 were infected last year in 77 districts of the country. Hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley were overwhelmed with dengue patients, with many complaining that they were deprived of treatment.
The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades, with cases reported to WHO increased from 505 430 cases in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. A vast majority of cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-managed, and hence the actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported. Many cases are also misdiagnosed as other febrile illnesses.
Consequently, disease risks may change and shift with climate change in tropical and subtropical areas, and vectors might adapt to new environment and climate.
So, in order to prevent oneself and our family and friends from getting infected by Dengue, we must be aware of our surroundig and take all the necessary precaution.