KATHMANDU, July 12: The government is preparing a nationwide response campaign to prevent and control monsoon-related diseases as the risk of seasonal outbreaks increases.
The Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene said it is launching the "Response Campaign" to strengthen preparedness against diseases that typically spread during the monsoon season.
Acting Director General of the Department of Health Services, Dr Anuj Bhattchan, said the campaign will focus on controlling outbreaks of dengue, malaria, cholera, diarrhoea, Japanese encephalitis, scrub typhus and influenza.
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He said the federal, provincial and local governments will jointly conduct risk assessments and implement response measures based on the level of risk identified in each area.
"We have made much greater progress in disease control than before. We are working to minimise the impact of monsoon-related diseases," Dr Bhattchan said. "Awareness campaigns are being carried out, and discussions are underway on various preventive measures to reduce the spread of these diseases."
Director of the National Health Education, Information and Communication Centre, Dr Radhika Thapaliya, said public awareness campaigns are being conducted through social media to help prevent monsoon-related diseases.
"We have started using social media to educate the public on how to prevent these diseases," she said. "Compared to the past, public awareness has increased, which has contributed to a decline in disease outbreaks."
Dr Bimal Sharma Chalise, chief consultant physician at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, said preventing diseases by addressing their sources and underlying risk factors is both more cost-effective and more efficient.
He urged the public to remain vigilant, noting that diseases such as dengue, cholera and diarrhoea become more common during the monsoon season.
Dr Gokarna Prasad Dahal, chief of the Vector-Borne Disease Section, also urged people to stay alert, saying waterborne diseases are more likely to spread between June/July and September/October. He added that dengue infections typically begin to rise with the onset of the monsoon.
