As many as 219 people have been infected with dengue virus in Chitwan district in the last two months alone. Ratnanagar Municipality of the district has been hit the hardest. Various hospitals in Chitwan reported a surge in the number of dengue patients. Celebratory mood faded in the district with increases in the number of dengue cases during the Dashain festival. “About 80 percent of the 219 dengue patients in the district are from Ratnanagar,” informed Ram KC, vector control inspector at the District Public Health Office (DPHO), Chitwan, adding that ward number 2 and surrounding areas of the municipality have been affected the most. Dengue, a vector-borne viral infection, is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with one of the four dengue virus serotypes. The disease affects infants, young children and adults alike. This mosquito is usually active at night, but doctors have urged everyone to stay safe from mosquito bites even during the day.