KATHMANDU: There have been seven dengue-related deaths in Gandaki Province: three men and four women. The Ministry of Health revealed these deaths, which have been occurring over a number of months, highlighting the gravity of the current dengue outbreak in the region.

The first known death from the disease occurred on July 25th, a 48-year-old Tanahun male. Since then, more people have died: a 40-year-old Kaski man died on August 6, a 52-year-old woman from the same area died on August 15, and a 61-year-old Myagdi man died on September 4.

Three elderly women from Kaski, who were 81, 70, and 75 years old, also passed away from dengue in September and October in addition to these cases. This shows that a broad range of people are affected by the condition, with older people being more susceptible.

Prashant Raj Sharma, Information Officer and Senior Health Education Officer at the Ministry of Health, states that as of October, there were 12,726 confirmed dengue cases in Gandaki Province. Since its start in January 2024, the virus has greatly intensified.

With 6,452 instances reported, Pokhara Metropolitan City, the provincial seat of Gandaki Province, has been the most severely affected. This is the heart of the outbreak, accounting for over half of all illnesses in the province.

In January, 70 documented instances of the dengue outbreak started slowly. Nevertheless, over 12,500 instances of illnesses were reported in the next nine months, representing a sharp increase over the days that followed. Since July, the number of cases has increased very noticeably.

In July, there were 728 cases, which then skyrocketed to 4,083 in August. The number of infections peaked in September, with 6,720 cases reported during that month alone, illustrating the rapid spread of the disease during the monsoon season.

With 6,548 cases, Kaski is the district in Gandaki Province with the largest number of infections. Additional regions severely impacted are Tanahun (2,861 instances), Parbat (1,146), Gorkha (664), Baglung (539), and Syangja (443).

Manang and Mustang are two districts that have been less affected; Manang has reported two instances, while Mustang has reported nine. On the other hand, the disease's broad dissemination emphasizes how difficult it will be to contain the outbreak throughout the province.

Physicians have cautioned that throughout the monsoon season, which normally lasts from June to November, there is still a substantial danger of contracting dengue fever. Conditions are ideal for the disease-transmitting Aedes mosquito population to proliferate during this time.