Dilasha Budha, 25, of Rajpur Rural Municipality-7, Dang, near the Indian border, died due to Malaria and lack of timely treatment. Kishor Acharya, Chief of the District Health Office, Dang, reported that more than ten people from the Rural Municipality, including Budha, had been experiencing symptoms such as high fever, headache, and vomiting since last week. Budha was taken to Nepalgunj Medical College for treatment after fainting due to a high fever. However, she passed away on August 6 during treatment.
According to Acharya, there has been no death due to Malaria in Nepal for a decade, and this is probably the first incident. Acharya added that Dilasha lost her life because she couldn’t be taken to the hospital in time. Similarly, a week ago, 15-year-old Krishna Budha of Rajpur Rural Municipality-7, Jelbang river, near the border, also died without receiving treatment. However, it hasn’t been confirmed whether Malaria was the cause of death. A team of health workers from the Health Office, Dang, and Rajpur Rural Municipality has been dispatched with medicines upon receiving information that ten more people in Bhaisahi are exhibiting similar symptoms, such as fever. According to the Public Health Office, Dang, the team is being mobilized to Bhainsahi via the Koilabas border crossing into India, as direct access to the site through Nepal is not feasible.
A team of health workers, including Kamal Chand, the focal person of the Health Office, and Kamal Rokaya, the Chief of the Health Branch of Rajpur Rural Municipality, is involved in the treatment efforts. According to the Health Office, Dang, seven patients diagnosed with Malaria during the examination in the fiscal year 2023/2024 have recovered after treatment.