Mosquito-borne diseases found in Kalikot district

Kalikot. Diseases spread by mosquito bites have started appearing even in the Himalayan districts. In Kalikot, patients with diseases spread by mosquito bites, Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar have been found.

Diseases spread by mosquitoes, which were previously seen only in the Terai and hilly districts, have started appearing in the Himalayan districts in recent years. In the fiscal year 2082/83, 19 patients with Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar spread by mosquito bites were found in the district, informed Public Health Officer of the District Health Service Office, Katak Bahadur Mahat. According to him, 10 Dengue, eight Kala-azar, and one Malaria patient have been found.

Public Health Officer Mahat said that patients with Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar have been found in six out of the nine local levels in the district. "Among the nine local levels in the district, Khadachakra Municipality has found eight Dengue patients, Palata Rural Municipality one, and Narharinath Rural Municipality one," he said. "Similarly, two Kala-azar patients were found in Khadachakra Municipality, two in Pachajharna Rural Municipality, and one each in Raskot Municipality, Shuvakalika, Palata, and Narharinath Rural Municipalities. A patient with Malaria was found in Khadachakra-2. This was an imported patient."

Due to climate change, as the temperature increases, mosquitoes have become capable of surviving and breeding in areas previously considered cold. Also, because many people from the district travel to and from the Terai districts, Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar patients have been found in recent times, said Ratna Beer Sunar, Chief of the District Health Service Office. "Due to road construction, market expansion, and unplanned settlements, the places where water accumulates are increasing, creating a favorable environment for mosquitoes to thrive. That is why patients with Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar have started appearing in the district," he said. "Especially in the lower parts of the district, along the banks of the Karnali and Tila rivers, patients with mosquito-borne diseases have been found."

As patients with Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar infections have started appearing in the district, an campaign to find and destroy mosquito larvae has been initiated in coordination with health institutions to prevent it from spreading as an epidemic, said Hemraj Bam, Chief of the Epidemic Disease Control Branch of the District Health Office. "In various places in the district where mosquito risk is observed, with the help of local health institutions, we have conducted campaigns to find and destroy larvae and raise awareness," he said. "Especially in areas where Dengue, Malaria, and Kala-azar patients have been found, we have provided information on cleaning stagnant water inside and outside homes and using mosquito nets to prevent mosquito bites."