Schools across Dhorpatan Municipality in Baglung have closed following a measles outbreak reported in the area. The infection has spread in Bobang, Serawang, and Lakuribot villages of wards 7, 8, and 9 of Dhorpatan Municipality. When children began falling ill, tests conducted showed symptoms similar to measles, and 31 patients were admitted to Burtibang Hospital for treatment. As patients are still undergoing treatment, schools have been closed until March 11, as a precautionary measure, according to Dhorpatan Municipality Health Section Chief and Public Health Officer Bhumishwor Sharma.
According to Public Health Officer Sharma, patients who developed fever and rashes and whose conditions appeared somewhat severe were admitted to the hospital. Their samples were collected and sent to the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) in Teku, Kathmandu, for testing. Out of five samples tested, all were confirmed to be measles positive, and other patients have also been treated accordingly based on similar symptoms.
The municipal health section stated that measles symptoms such as rashes typically appear within 10 to 14 days after infection, and an infected person can transmit the disease to others for up to 14 days from the date of infection. Due to the high risk of transmission, schools had to be closed as a preventive measure.
More than 61 patients have been identified within Dhorpatan Municipality alone in Baglung. Some individuals may have recovered at home, assuming it was only a mild fever. Of the 31 patients admitted to the hospital for treatment, most have already been discharged, and currently, nine patients remain under treatment, according to Prabin Sharma, Chief of the Provincial Public Health Office in Baglung.
According to him, among those showing symptoms so far, a nine-month-old infant has shown similar symptoms, while the rest are individuals who had already reached the age eligible for vaccination. It is suspected that the infection may have been brought by a 15-year-old boy who arrived from India, and the disease appears to have spread mainly among children aged between 12 and 16 years. Initial investigations indicate that the boy had come to Sukurdung in Dhorpatan Municipality from Nishikhola Rural Municipality in Baglung after returning from India, and the infection spread in the Dhorpatan area from there, according to the chief of the Public Health Office.
Patients who reach a more serious condition are being admitted to the hospital. The municipality stated that after samples collected from patients at Burtibang Hospital on March 1, were sent for testing and measles was confirmed, a decision was made to close schools. After the confirmation of the samples collected on the 17th, 48 patients were identified in a single day on the 20th, according to Health Section Chief Sharma.
Health Section Chief Bhumishwor Sharma stated that he has not received information about a measles outbreak in Baglung district for the past decade. He said the most recent outbreak he was aware of occurred earlier in 2026 in the Malangwa area of Sarlahi. Nepal had set a target to completely eliminate measles by 2026 and had been working toward that goal accordingly. As measles had not been seen for more than 10 years, the sudden appearance of cases has created concern. However, since the infection appears to have been introduced from outside the country, he added that there is still a basis to consider Nepal largely free of measles transmission.