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For members of the general public, it is getting increasingly difficult these days to know which piece of information is fake and which is not. Recently, a fake video of an incident of manhandling went viral. Apparently, the video was targeted at the country’s top political leadership. 

This, just days after a sustained effort to drag the leadership into controversy over alleged investments offshore.

A cursory reading of unsavory comments in relation to such controversial and often fake contents paints an alarming picture. It shows anarchy reigns supreme in parts of the cyberscape as in several other parts of national life, including in politics. It may be because of poor service delivery on the part of state organs. Worse still, it may be an indication of the direction we are taking as a society. 

In a real democracy, healthy criticism of the government is always welcome. The free press, if it is indeed worth its name, is at the forefront when it comes to taking the government to task. Sadly, there have been instances, in Nepal and elsewhere, where the vanguards of the permanent opposition have paid—and continue to pay—heavy prices for not sparing a government, democratic or otherwise.

Rulers, regardless of their hues and shades, often fail to realize that they should not shoot the messenger just because they don’t like the message. Even those at the helm in great democracies tend to forget that the media is a watchdog, not a lapdog. 

This selective amnesia comes from state powers, unbridled or otherwise. Indeed, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The freedom of expression, the freedom of the press and several other freedoms are enshrined in our Constitution. These freedoms come with boundaries attached. 
Notwithstanding the red lines, cyberspace has become a mute spectator as outlets, in their desperate bids to go viral, cross the limits and resort to misinformation, disinformation and fake news, often targeting high-profile figures, among others. There’s an ecosystem behind it all, with links beyond the national jurisdiction.

Alarmingly, recent days have also seen attempts to malign Nepal as an unsafe neighbor and destabilize the polity by predicting that the government will collapse pretty soon.

In the face of misinformation, disinformation and fake news spreading like wildfire amid proliferation of advanced technologies like AI, our government seems to be in deep slumber.

Time has come for the government to wake up and rein in this sorry situation by safeguarding freedoms enshrined in our charter and improving its poor service delivery, which seems to be the root cause of rising discontent in social media and beyond.

Since Sept 2019, the United States has provided over $700m in foreign aid through programs administered by the US Department of State and USAID. These aid initiatives have focused on health, economic growth, democracy and governance, and food security, according to a spokesperson for the US Department of State.

The US is committed to deepening its long-standing partnership with Nepal in supporting its democratic resiliency, promoting economic opportunity, and protecting and advancing its sovereignty, the Spokesperson  said in an email interview.  “Our robust people-to-people ties are the cornerstone of our relationship, fostering friendship, understanding, trust, and goodwill.”

According to the Spokesperson , the $500m Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, along with the Government of Nepal’s additional $197m contribution, is another great example of the US commitment to Nepal.  The Spokesperson said the MCC projects will bring high quality, green energy and improved roads to the people of Nepal to power continued economic growth. “$260m in US International Development Finance Corporation loans and equity investments will support agricultural and small and medium sized enterprises, particularly women-run enterprises.”

With the re-election of Donland Trump as president of America, foreign policy watchers in Nepal and India are keenly watching whether there will be any changes in US policy toward South Asia and Nepal. The Spokesperson  assuaged the doubt by stating that the US do not have any changes in policy to announce at this point of time. Nepal recently signed the Cooperation Framework for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), raising eyebrows in New Delhi and Washington. Both New Delhi and Washington have advised Nepal to accept the support under BRI in a transparent way to prevent debt burden.

Commenting on Nepal’s BRI agreement, the Spokesperson said, “It is up to the Government of Nepal to determine which agreements and partnership will benefit its people.” He, however, added that such partnership between two countries should be open, transparent, and mutually beneficial. That is the basis of our partnership with Nepal, and we will continue to seek opportunities to support Nepal’s ongoing development efforts.

During Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to China on Dec 2-5, the two sides came up with a statement which has been a topic of discussions in the political and diplomatic circles. The statement says that Nepal firmly supports China’s efforts to achieve its national reunification and opposes Taiwan’s independence.

Though the issue of Taiwan independence and shift from one China policy to one China principle was mentioned in the joint statement during former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s China visit last year, China’s “national reunification” effort is a new development.

Addressing this issue, the Spokesperson said that their approach to Taiwan has remained consistent across decades and administrations. “The United States has a longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.” The Spokesperson further added that their one China Policy is distinct from China’s one China principle. “We do not take a position on the ultimate resolution of Cross-Strait differences, and we maintain that Cross-Strait differences must be resolved peacefully, free from coercion, and in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” 

I was taken aback when a man wearing a helmet approached and asked, “Searching for a room?” All the major festivities were over, and Christmas was yet to arrive. It was that time of the year when you couldn’t get a hotel room in Lakeside. But strangely, in the middle of the street, the man was offering me a room—and that too at a price way below Lakeside’s standards.

“I have already booked a room,” I said, more to myself because the man had already walked past me. But as he left, I caught a whiff of alcohol from him. He must have thought that I didn’t want to talk to him because he was drunk. The truth is that I am of the conviction that it’s not important to strike up a conversation with everyone, everywhere. 

As I stood on the sidewalk, I noticed a group of young girls walking into a dingy lounge across the street. Their clothes looked outlandish, I looked down at my own baggy jeans, hoping—even praying—that they didn’t look as odd.

Lakeside is not where I come regularly. I was here today because a group was joining me for dinner.

The only people I knew from the group were my two male friends, and I had never met the three girls coming with them. The girls were my friends’ friends from their school days.

As time passed, I began realizing that going to a bar and taking a slug of a drink would have been a prudent move. But I dismissed the idea because I was meeting those girls for the first time. I didn’t want to smell of alcohol and sound slurry. No civilized person would want to leave a bad impression during the very first meeting. To say I was excited to meet them would be an understatement. In the afternoon, when my friend had phoned me to inform me about the dinner party at Lakeside with his lady friends, I was thrilled by the idea of meeting unknown girls. Over the years, that friend of mine had never missed inviting me to any of the parties he went to. Perhaps he found it easier when I went along with him because he spoke even less than I did. This time, my excitement knew no bounds as it had been a while since I attended any gatherings with a group of girls.

When my relationship ended last year, I had vowed that I wouldn’t date anyone, but it was just a moment of frustration. For a year, I didn’t meet any girls and even avoided them when they approached me. It always took me by surprise when a girl texted me on Facebook, saying she’d love to have coffee with me. I may be dumb, but I knew at least that I didn’t have enough qualities to charm a girl. Most girls found me boring because of my involvement in writing and literature, while others wanted to meet me only to talk about how literature works.

At around 9 pm, I got a phone call from one of my friends, telling me that he and the other male friend would arrive in five minutes. I didn’t ask him if the girls were still coming because it would have sounded desperate. Also, if I had asked about the girls, my friend would have found some way to make fun of me when he arrived.

A red Vespa scooter stopped right where I was standing. The boys arrived, both of them wearing matching blue jeans, as if they were twins. As they approached, with no girls in sight, I felt a jolt of disappointment. Would I be there so early if the girls were not coming? But before I could ask about the girls, a friend said, “The girls are somewhere near here. They were saying they would be with another group until we arrived. So just let me give a call and ask where they are.” That news brought some relief to my senses as I wouldn’t have to listen to the boys ranting about their studies. No one would want to spend a night with geeks grunting constantly about money and studies. I wish I could convince my friends that there was more to life than just devouring course books. I mean, what’s with these engineer boys and course books? It’s not like I didn’t make efforts to replace their course books with classics and rom-com novels. But no matter how much you train the fish, it can’t swim outside the water. Tired of their ways, I stopped forcing them into reading novels, while incessantly being the victim of their superior jokes that only engineers could tell.

When the girl answered the phone on the other end, we spontaneously walked toward Busy Bee because it was the only vibrant pub in sight.

“We are right in front of Busy Bee,“ the friend murmured into the phone, while the other friend and I started making small talk. The girl on the other end said something I couldn’t quite make out.

“What? You’re there? Wait,” the friend turned around and peered at the dinghy lounge across the street. The girl in a black dress emerged and waved her hands at us. My nose scrunched up in disgust and surprise. I beckoned the friend and asked if they were the girls we were planning to meet.

“Yeah. They were the friends I was talking about. The three of them and we studied together till the tenth,” the friend with the phone in his hand said and pointed at another friend.

I laughed inwardly, suppressing a loud laugh. I didn’t tell my friends that I was standing on the sidewalk and glancing at them from across the street all the while. The girl in a black dress went inside the lounge again, possibly to pay the bill and fetch the others. While waiting for the girls, the friend, still holding the phone, looked tensely at me and mumbled, “You saw her? The one in a black dress. You’re going to talk to her tonight while we focus on the other two. We both are on the talking stage with the two other ladies. It’s weird that after years of knowing them, we are finally feeling something for them.”

“I’m not surprised at all. You know you both have always been like this. What a weird set of characters!” I remarked and met their eyes in succession. They laughed hilariously loud, and by the time they stopped laughing, the girl in a black dress was already behind them. Pushing her way through the boys, she appeared right in front of me, her nose stud glinting in the night lights. I hoped she didn’t notice me all the time I was standing there. When her right hand suspended in the mid-air, inviting me to shake her hand, I wondered whether I would have barged into the dingy lounge had I known that the girls were my friends’ friends.

The World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week was celebrated from Nov 18–24, with the theme “Educate. Advocate. Act Now”, had a limited impact on community awareness and behavioral change toward rational antimicrobial use.

When bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites evolve over time and lose their ability to respond to medications, it’s known as AMR, which makes infections more difficult to treat and increases the risk of disease transmission, severe illness, and death. Designated as a ‘silent pandemic’ AMR has claimed three lives per minute, totaling around 36m deaths since 1990. Without urgent policy interventions, and preventative actions, the current projection indicates an alarming rise to 1.9m deaths annually by 2050. 

The economic impact is equally staggering, with the World Bank’s 2017 projection estimating that AMR could cost up to $1trn globally by mid-century and force an additional 28m into extreme poverty by 2050, with 93 percent of them residing in low-income countries. AMR was associated with 23,200 fatalities and attributed to 6,400 additional deaths in Nepal in 2019. The country ranks 52nd globally and 2nd in South Asia for age-standardized AMR mortality rates per 100,000 population.

AMR includes not only bacterial infections and antibiotic misuse but also resistance to antifungal medications, crucial for treating life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. Fungal illnesses are prevalent in Nepal, especially among those with chronic conditions like diabetes, HIV, cancer, lung disease, and tuberculosis. 

A 2015 study estimated 1.87 percent Nepali population suffers from serious fungal infections annually, with conditions such as invasive aspergillosis and cryptococcal meningitis being prevalent among HIV/AIDS patients. Another 2020 research in Bhaktapur found that one-third diabetic patients had fungal infections, caused by Candida and Aspergillus species, resistance to fluconazole and ketoconazole, both broad-spectrum azole antifungals. This underscores the urgent need for improved diagnosis and treatment strategies to tackle antifungal resistance in Nepal.

Antifungal resistance affects both human and animal, with escalating antifungal use in veterinary and agriculture contributing to resistant strains. This dual threat compromises treatments, impacts livestock productivity, undermines food security and economics. Studies highlight widespread fungal contamination in food, feed, and livestock, emphasizing the urgent need for awareness, surveillance, rational use, stewardship and containment strategies to safeguard public health and agricultural productivity.

Aflatoxin contamination is a significant concern in Nepal, particularly in maize, rice, and animal feed. A 2005 study by Koirala and team observed high aflatoxin in staple foods, posing health risks like liver damage and immune suppression. Another 2024 research by Agriculture and Forestry University revealed very high levels of aflatoxin contamination in the dairy milk in Kathmandu, presenting a serious public health issue. Resistant fungal infections in livestock have reduced milk production and caused health issues.

The aquaculture sector in Nepal is also affected by fungal pathogens, which contribute to fish morbidity and mortality, threatening the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, as highlighted by Shrestha and team in 2020 through research at four fish farms. Similarly, a 2009 study by Aryal and Karki from Nepal Agriculture Research Council found a high prevalence of aflatoxins in poultry feed, further impacting the rural economy.

Climate change exacerbates the fungal threat by promoting fungal growth and aflatoxin production through erratic rainfall and seasonal variation. Poor air quality increases airborne fungi, worsening respiratory and skin infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Shifting monsoon patterns and poor storage practices raise contamination risks, especially in crops like rice straw used for animal feed. Droughts enhance spore release from Coccidioides, while flooding spreads spores. Climate change also enables fungi to spread into new areas and adapt to higher temperatures, increasing the prevalence of pathogens like Candida auris.

The diagnostic approach to antifungal resistance in Nepal involves several key components. Precise fungal pathogen diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment, with traditional methods like laboratory culture and morphological identification being time-consuming and error-prone. Recent studies emphasize the need for rapid diagnostic tests to identify resistant strains for targeted treatment. Leveraging facilities developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as PCR, Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and serological tests, could enable robust, faster, precise diagnoses. 

The WHO’s AWaRe framework, which categorizes antifungals into Access for common infections, Watch for broader-spectrum requiring monitoring, and Reserve for last-resort options, can guide prescribing practices to contain resistance. Implementing this framework can optimize antifungal prescribing while reducing resistance. Nepal can adapt this framework to suit local healthcare needs, incorporating more accessible, user-friendly methods. 

However, patterns of antifungals use reveal concerning trends, with practitioners relying on broad-spectrum antifungals without proper diagnostics, leading to overuse and resistance. Additionally, antifungals used as growth promoters in livestock fosters resistance in animal pathogens, posing risks to human health via zoonotic transmission.

Antifungal resistance in Nepal is driven by several challenges such as limited awareness, inadequate surveillance, poor stewardship and weak healthcare infrastructure. Addressing this, the government must establish robust monitoring systems for antifungal resistance in food and feed, supported by regulatory frameworks to protect public health. Evidence-based education and training programs for healthcare providers, veterinarians, and farmers are essential to promote rational antifungal use and raise community awareness about contamination risks. Integrating fungal infections into livestock insurance and providing essential antifungal medications free of charge can improve accessibility.

Strengthening collaboration among the Department of Livestock Services, ‘One Health’ stakeholders and local governments is vital for enhancing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment capabilities. Implementing standard treatment guidelines and rational use policies can help mitigate overuse. Cross-sectoral collaboration among agricultural experts, veterinarians, and public health officials is vital. Paired with community campaigns, it can drive behavioral change toward responsible antifungal practices. Research institutions should prioritize studying local resistance mechanisms and innovating new solutions. Adopting the ‘One Health’ approach provides a framework for integrated interventions across human, animal, agricultural and environmental sectors, essential for effectively combating the escalating threat of antifungal resistance.

The authors are researchers at the Nexus Institute of Research and Innovation specializing in AMR