By Our Correspondent

Rasuwa, Sept. 8:An awareness raising campaign about dengue disease has started in Rasuwa but the lack of dengue test kit to screen dengue virus at the district health centres has, however, caused problem in the treatment.
Discussion among the stakeholders was held at the District Administration Office (DAO) had decided to start the awareness campaign. However, the lack of equipment that are used in the lab to screen the dengue virus, has forced patients to travel outside of the district.
The campaign has identified potential risk areas in the district and made a work plan to tackle dengue challenges.
The potential risk areas in the district are: Utargaya Rural Municipality’s Khalte, Salletar, Betrawati, Bogatitar, Pairebesi, Majhgaun and Mailung; and of Kalika Rural Municipality’s Kalikasthan, Dharapani, Betani, Jibjibe, Ghuseni and Naukunda.
Gosaikunda Rural Municipality’s Dhunche, Bharkhu, Syafrubesi and Timure; Amachodingmo Rural Municipality’s Goljung and Chilime have also been identified as risk prone areas.
Though dengue infection has not been reported yet in Rasuwa district, the work plan is prepared for raising awareness in the risk areas, according to the Chief District Officer, Arjun Bhandari.
As part of the campaign, pamphlets will be distributed in the risk prone zones while posters will be pasted all over the district, while local media will be used to disseminate information regarding the disease, said Bhandari.
No person has been infected in the district till date, but there is no equipment in the district to determine if anyone has dengue virus. District Hospital Rasuwa lacks the equipment to detect dengue virus and thus it has been difficult to treat dengue, said the hospital.
With no equipment, anyone suspected of an infection is being referred for treatment elsewhere, said Dr. Dipak Mishra of the District Hospital.
He said, “we refer patients that are suspected of having dengue symptoms to other places because we do not have the equipment to determine if they have dengue or not”.
The District Hospital has demanded with the Department of Health Service to provide it with the equipment for screening dengue virus.
Similarly RSS adds in Baglung, the District Health Office here has launched a ‘search and destroy’ campaign to ward off dengue. Under the campaign, the mosquitoes are searched and destroyed.
Dengue is the mosquito-borne disease. The search and destroy campaign is carried out in the places having mosquitoes as puddle, unused water tanks, worn out tires, drums potholes.
Supervisor at the Office, Dev Prakash Ghimire said, “In addition to the search and destroy campaign, public awareness rally and sanitation were also conducted in the district in order to avoid the possible dengue menace.”
The activities under the campaign were attended civil servants, security persons, social campaigners, volunteers, media persons and commoners. People are informed via public announcement and media about the preventive measures.
An awareness programme on dengue was organized today. The State level ministry, hospital, health workers and drug dealers discussed how they could co-operate each other to prevent the disease.
Ten local levels have already launched awareness programmes against the dengue, added Supervisor Ghimire. He further said anyone suspicious of the disease is directed to visit the nearby health facility promptly.
Meanwhile in Chitwan, with the increase in dengue patients, the Blood Transfusion Centre, Bharatpur, has witnessed shortage of blood.
Chief at the Centre, Ramesh Kant Poudel, informed that it had been difficult to manage while blood cell needed to the dengue patients because the blood donation was not regular.
Currently, 100 unit white blood is needed daily, he said, adding that the Centre was able to provide only 60 to 70 units. White blood helps build platelets.
District Chairman of Nepal Red Cross Society, Gyanshali Neupane, admitted that adequate blood could not be supplied to the needy ones after the number of dengue infected people rose to 833 in the district.
With this, the Office has urged all concerned to donate blood. It has been collecting blood from various 10 districts including Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahu.