The NGO Human Right Watch has urged the Government of Nepal on Tuesday to take measures to address the outbreak of dengue fever that the country has been suffering in recent months, due to the expectation that mosquito-borne diseases will become more widespread and severe in the Asian country as a result of the effects of climate change.
«As temperatures rise, the federal executive and local governments must work together to protect people from the growing threat posed by disease outbreaks,» said HRW South Asia Director Meenaskshi Ganguly.
«Without effective measures to eliminate breeding sites, reduce transmission and improve treatment, Nepal is likely to experience much worse outbreaks of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases as temperatures rise in the coming years,» Ganguly explained, before adding that the «government must protect people’s right to health so that millions of Nepalis are not put at risk.»
In this line, the director of the HRW section has argued that «the governments of the countries that have been primarily responsible for the emissions that are driving climate change should support Nepal’s efforts, including access to vaccines».
Dr. Megnath Dhimal, a public health expert for the government, noted that infection rates are related to climate change because the rate of warming is much higher at higher altitudes.
«We need to improve our infrastructure and capacity for future outbreaks. The countries most vulnerable (to climate) are developing countries like Nepal,» Dhimal added.
Temperatures in the Himalayan region have risen faster than average global rates and are projected to continue to rise faster than the global average.
Nepal has reported annual outbreaks of dengue since 2006, with 2019 being the year in which there were the most recorded cases, totaling nearly 18,000. However, medical authorities interviewed by HRW have noted that the actual number of infections is likely to be several times higher than the official statistics.
The Nepalese government has developed a national plan to respond to climate change, which has been criticized by experts for lack of coordination and implementation. Through this program, it plans to spend €480 million to strengthen the response to such climate-sensitive diseases by 2030.
«There are ‘ad hoc’ activities being implemented, but very few effective interventions are being implemented,» explained Dr. Keshab Deuba, an infectious disease epidemiologist. «Very few activities are being implemented at the community level that control these cases,» he has added.
