Nepal is the latest country to endure an unprecedented dengue fever outbreak with six deaths and more than 8,000 people hospitalised in the last four months.
The epidemic – believed to be the worst in the nation’s history – has been attributed to climate change and urbanisation creating new breeding grounds for the aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus mosquitoes that spread the disease.
It is one of a wave of outbreaks of the debilitating virus that has spread around the world this year. Bangladesh, the Philippines and Honduras have all sounded national alerts over the disease, which causes debilitating flu-like symptoms including a high fever, headaches and joint pain. In severe cases it can be deadly.
CDC per Unviersity of South Carolina Biomedical Sciences web page (in spanish): bottom of page (last viewed 3 june 2010). [Public domain]
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