Government Aims to Reduce Dengue Infection Rate by 60% in Five Years

Kathmandu. The government has started preparations to reduce the dengue infection rate by 60 percent within the next five years.

The multi-sectoral plan for dengue prevention and control prepared by the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene mentions that the goal will be achieved by involving all bodies of the federal, provincial, and local governments in dengue control and prevention within the next five years.

The government's goal is to reduce the death rate from dengue to less than 0.01 percent. In addition, the ministry has stated that special efforts will be made to minimize the severe consequences of dengue under the plan.

To achieve the goal, the government will use all its mechanisms to monitor the spread of the disease. Along with this, it will strengthen the 'early warning system' to alert the public in high-risk areas before mosquitoes carrying dengue enter those areas.

Furthermore, the government also aims to make the 'integrated vector surveillance system' effective and sustainable to activate a response as soon as the presence of dengue-carrying mosquitoes is known. Besides this, the government aims to make communication about the disease effective to reduce the risk of the disease.

Under the plan, the government also has a plan to operate the 'Clean Friday' program by increasing sanitation to destroy the breeding capacity of mosquitoes and conducting special sanitation every week for that purpose.

Similarly, the government will also adopt a policy of declaring 'zero tolerance zones' in various high-risk areas and strictly implementing sanitation in places where dengue-carrying mosquitoes are likely to breed, such as fountains and ponds in parks, and making special arrangements to increase the tendency among general consumers to use piped water instead of storing water in tanks.

Similarly, the plan includes increasing the number of larvae-eating fish in reservoirs and spraying mosquito-killing chemicals in essential places.

With the rise in global temperatures, dengue, which was only seen in the Terai region a few years ago, was seen in all 77 districts of the country last year.

This year too, dengue has been detected in 915 people in 68 districts so far. One death has occurred in this.

According to Dr. Gokarna Dahal, Senior Health Administrator at the Vector-Borne Disease Control Branch, the number of dengue-infected people has been increasing with the monsoon for the past three years, and in some districts, it has appeared as an epidemic. He also informed that dengue has been detected in Sunsari, Chitwan, Kathmandu, Jhapa, Morang, Rupandehi, Kanchanpur, Makwanpur, Okhaldhunga, and Sindhuli since January 2026 in the past five months.

To prevent the spread of the disease, the government has formed a national 'Dengue Task Force' under the leadership of the Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.

He also informed that based on the regular monitoring and surveillance of the Division, 19 local levels where cases have increased since Push 2082 have been alerted and circularized to conduct necessary preventive activities, and preparations are underway to circularize an additional 10 local levels.

According to Dr. Anuj Bhattachan, Acting Director General of the Department of Health Services, eight thousand rapid diagnostic test kits are available at the Department of Health Services, Management Division, and the procurement process for an additional 30,000 kits is in the final stage.

He also informed that there is a plan to conduct training and orientation through 'virtual' and physical means for health workers to enhance their capacity in dengue diagnosis and case management.

Dr. Dahal also informed that to reduce the risk of death from dengue, more than 1,700 doctors and health workers from private and government hospitals have been oriented on the national treatment protocol for dengue disease, and hospitals have been kept ready.

Similarly, as part of the plan to celebrate the month of Shrawan as 'Dengue Awareness Month' for dengue prevention and control at the local level, preparations are underway to conduct campaigns to search for mosquito habitats, search and destroy larvae, multi-sectoral coordination, and public awareness programs.

For this, a budget of more than five crore rupees has been allocated in the current fiscal year 082/83 for the campaign to search and destroy mosquito habitats in 450 local levels and 77 districts.

Stating that extensive community mobilization and multi-sectoral involvement are necessary for dengue prevention and control, he said,