Kathmandu: The Ministry of Health and Population announced today that the upcoming Nepali month of Shrawan will be marked as the Dengue Awareness Drive. Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel revealed that the campaign will officially commence tomorrow.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister Paudel emphasized that the decision to designate Shrawan for dengue awareness comes in response to the regular surge of dengue cases during this period. The initiative aims to raise awareness about the mosquito-borne disease from the start of the month.
In addition to the awareness drive, a ‘Search and Destroy’ campaign is scheduled to be conducted every Friday at 10:00 AM from Shrawan to the end of Kartik, which spans until mid-November. This campaign is being launched in light of the increased risk of dengue during these months. Minister Paudel highlighted that with proper precautions, the infection rate can be lowered.
Minister Paudel also stressed that reducing dengue infections requires more than just governmental efforts, calling for collaborative measures to tackle the risk effectively. Dr. Bikash Devkota, Secretary at the Ministry, urged the public to prevent water accumulation, particularly during the heavy rainfall of Shrawan.
Dr. Devkota expressed confidence that if the ‘Search and Destroy’ initiative is implemented across offices and neighborhoods from Shrawan to Kartik, it could substantially diminish the dengue threat.