According to a WHO (World Health Organization), dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease. It is spread by several species of a female mosquito, Aedes aegypti. And it’s spreading all over the world.
These types of mosquito feed both indoors and outdoors during the daytime. These mosquitoes thrive in areas with standing water, including puddles, water tanks, and containers. We can say that the lack of reliable sanitation and regular garbage collection is the main channel for the spread of mosquitoes.
Nepal is facing dengue’s worst outbreak and it’s unstoppable. The number of dengue cases is increasing rapidly. The diseases are spreading rapidly in urban areas. The places include Chitwan, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Makawanpur, Kaski and many more.
The dengue in Nepal is spreading rapidly in urban areas. As frequently rainfall provides the mosquitoes breeding ground this problem is increasing. We know the drainage system and waste management of Nepal during the rainy season.
It is the most sensational news nowadays, in Nepal. And everyone is blaming the government for this worst situation. People say that our government is doing nothing to control dengue in Nepal.
Is it right to blame the government for everything?
As we know why this problem has been so difficult to solve. We are doing nothing to solve this problem, rather than blaming others. And we are criticizing the government for each problem, rather than solving it by ourselves.
We know the main reason behind this, so can’t we solve our problem by ourselves. At least we can try.
We know that it’s the rainy season and we should keep our environment clean. The area we are living in should be garbage-free. And we should tell others too. If there is cleanness around you no disease can impact you.
Especially, dengue in Nepal is a very serious problem where people are not so serious about cleanliness but only pretend to be clean. Therefore, it’s the duty of each and every person to take care of their surroundings by themselves. This is the best way to control dengue in Nepal and the whole world.
Causes of dengue
- Garbage Accumulation: – More people are migrating from village to city area but, the cities, in turn, are not ready to adopt all these changes. The garbage in cities is very difficult to accumulate and dispose of it properly. With the rise in population, the accumulation of garbage has increased massively. Due to this, there is a high chance of getting dengue and other diseases.
- Poor Sanitation Practices: – When mixed with a poor drainage system, the open excretion contributes to flood and water mixing in the Monsoon phase. This polluted filthy water is perfect breeding for mosquitoes.
Symptoms of dengue
- Headache, high fever
- Muscle, bone and joint pains
- Pain behind the eyes
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Skin rash
- Mild bleeding (such as the nose bleeding, gum bleeding)
People tend to be at high risk whose immune system and those with a second or subsequent dengue infection.
Prevention for dengue
- Keep your surroundings clean: – The main prevention for dengue is to keep your house and area that surrounds you should be garbage-free. The drainage system should be used properly. You shouldn’t let the filthy water-bound you. So, maintain cleanliness around you. This is the very first step to prevent your self. Never accumulate thrash outside your house and on your surroundings.
- When indoors, use air conditioning if available: – Ensure that water emitted from air conditioners does not collect outside and form stagnant puddles.
- Wear protective clothing: – Most of us are job holders and have to go travel to many places. When you go out from home especially into mosquito-infested areas, wear long-sleeved clothes, long pants, socks, and shoes.
- Use mosquito repellents: – You can use mosquito repellents whenever you go out of your house, or indoor also.
- Use of insecticides: – There are many insecticides on the market to control this. Aerosol insecticides, vaporizing mats, and mosquito coils can help to clear homes and areas of mosquitoes. However, some unregistered products are available in the market which may contain pesticides. Such insecticides should always be used with caution, avoiding direct use of spray or smoke.
A very efficient way to control mosquitoes is to find and eliminate their larval habitat (first stage of mosquito). Eliminating large larval development such as swamps or sluggishly moving streams or ditches may require community-wide effort.
Most of the people from Nepal are still unknown about this information. They still don’t know how to tackle such a problem. The villages still don’t have a drainage system, they go out into the fields.
Due to the very low level of health awareness and practically non-existent information and knowledge about dengue, most villagers don’t know the health risks they faced in their daily life. They are unaware of what dengue is and how to safeguard themselves from it.
And for a town, I guess people are being over-educated. Nowadays we people never think of others. We are being so self-centered that we never think of others getting into problems because of a single person’s action.
The government, a community, and the individuals must take action for this problem. If each individual does the proper cleanliness of their home and surroundings, the community automatically will be safe. And of course, force the government to maintain proper drainage and garbage system.
The rapid rise in the human population, lack of people’s awareness, environmental changes, social changes and increased mosquito breeding in the 21st century resulted in increased dengue transmission. This problem must be considered very seriously.