House seeks govt clarification on dengue outbreak

Kathmandu, September 12

House of Representatives Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara today told the government to brief lawmakers about the spread of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease which has claimed at least six lives so far.

The ruling comes at a time when the government is facing criticism for not taking concrete steps to control the spread of the disease which has hit 56 districts, affecting 5,095 people as of Tuesday.

“The government should update lawmakers about the outbreak as soon as possible,” Mahara said.

Right before the speaker gave the instruction, lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties had condemned the government for its indifferent attitude towards preventing the disease from spreading. Main opposition Nepali Congress lawmaker Sanjay Kumar Gautam even sought Health Minister Upendra Yadav’s resignation and demanded that the government declare a public health emergency as the disease was spreading at an alarming rate.

As the number of dengue cases is growing rapidly, the UK government has issued a travel warning requesting its citizens to take “extra precaution” while travelling to Nepal.

“Everywhere, people are talking about dengue these days. But where is the government? Is the government intending to speak about it after all the lawmakers die?” ruling Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Krishna Gopal Shrestha asked.

Former health and population minister Khaga Raj Adhikari was another ruling party lawmaker to take a shot at the government. “What is the health ministry doing at this moment?” Adhikari asked and sought clarification from the government on whether dengue outbreak had started taking the shape of an epidemic. “If it is an epidemic, awareness campaigns should be launched to contain the spread of the disease,” Adhikari said.

 

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