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The number of dengue and scrub typhus patients has been rising in Baitadi district in recent periods. Scrub typhus has been diagnosed in 140 people and dengue in 13 persons since July 17 till September 13, the District Hospital Baitadi said. Hemanta Khadayat, the health assistant at the Hospital, said dengue and scrub typhus patients are also being found in other health facilities in the district. The Hospital has urged adopting precaution as it is possible that people who have not been examined can also carry scrub typhus and dengue infection. Hospital's information officer Harish Panta said that they have been detecting dengue and scrub typhus infection among the patients coming to the hospital on a daily basis of late. This shows that there is a risk of these diseases spreading. Meanwhile, the District Health Office has launched a public awareness and sanitation programme in view of the increasing number of dengue and scrub typhus cases in the district.    

The risk of dengue has increased in Sindhuli. Dr Sagar Devkota of the Sindhuli Hospital said that dengue cases have suddenly surged in the district in short time. According to him, three dengue infection cases are found among the people coming to the hospital for health checkup on a daily basis. He said dengue was detected in 97 persons coming to the hospital seeking medical treatment since mid-August. "The largest number of cases is from Kamalamai Municipality. Dengue is found in 74 persons in the municipality," Dr Devkota said, adding that seven cases have been found in Dudhauli Municipality five in Golanjor Rural Municipality, four cases in Tinpatan Rural Municipality and three cases each in Marin and Ghyanglekh rural municipalities of the district. Among them, 12 are being treated in hospital while the rest are receiving treatment at their homes as per doctor's advice.  Dr Devkota said that 10 dengue patients have been referred to other hospitals due to shortage of blood platelets. This data is of the period from July 17 to September 13. Dr Devkota said that dengue is spreading rapidly in Sindhuli district and there is no exact data on the number of patients since many cases go unreported. Meanwhile, the Kamalamai Municipality has launched a 'search and destroy' campaign for destroying the mosquito larvae in a bid to prevent dengue from spreading. It has also implemented an orientation programme through the Municipality Health Division for prevention and control of dengue, said the mayor Upendra Kumar Pokhrel.

The COP27 Presidency of Egypt has identified transport as an issue of particular importance for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place from 6-18 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt (known as COP27). The Egyptian presidency of the conference is including in its action agenda an entire afternoon on 17th November 2022 to convene stakeholders to discuss and make commitments to achieve equitable, healthy, green and resilient transport in Africa and the rest of the developing world. "The focus of COP27 is on implementation; now is the time for action. We hope to see stakeholders come together and demonstrate genuine commitment to active mobility and electrification of buses across the world, and particularly for the Global South” said Ambassador Ayman Tharwat Amin, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt. In the lead up to transport discussions at COP27; on 7 September 2022 COP27 Presidency convened a meeting (moderated by UNEP and SLOCAT) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo, bringing together close to 100 stakeholders including governments, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, private sector, civil society and NGOs. The meeting sought to strengthen consensus on what specific COP27 transport-related outcomes could be achieved to support low-and middle-income countries, with a focus on Africa. "The combination of decarbonized of public transport, walking and cycling holds the key to many of the solutions needed to achieve our goals through a just transition. It is inspiring to see such a wide range of stakeholders come together to discuss how COP27 can pave the way for accelerating action with Africa and the Global South in the lead.” said Ms. Maruxa Cardama, Secretary General, SLOCAT Partnership. Areas explored included: ● Creating an overarching framework with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) outcomes that identifies the gaps, and builds on previous initiatives, and feeds back into these efforts to ensure continuity, alignment and scaling up. ● Secure high-level commitment from interested Parties and non-party stakeholders. ● Identify relevant announcements under preparation by leading entities. ● Develop roadmaps for stakeholder engagement, including Parties. "COP27 is a golden opportunity to make sure developing countries take centre stage and also to prioritise two critical solutions in the fight against climate change- active mobility and electrification” added Rob de Jong, Head-Sustainable Mobility Unit, UNEP. This prioritisation and focus on transport are more critical than ever before; transport accounts for 15% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is the fastest growing source of emissions. According to the IPCC Climate Change 2022 Report for Policymakers, the global share of GHG emissions attributed to urban areas is increasing, from 62% in 2015 to about 67-72% in 2020. Applying the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) framework through integrated, inter-modal and balanced approaches is critical to effectively enabling equitable, healthy, green and resilient transport pathways. The combination of public transport based on clean technologies and walking and cycling hold the key to many of the solutions needed to achieve our goals through a just transition. Still, these are under-prioritised aspects of the climate agenda, from a policy and funding perspective. All over the world, decades of car-centric cities and transport planning have had negative impacts on cities - from rocketing emissions, poor air quality and dangerous roads, to plans and policies that leave the poorest behind. While the need to transform transport systems is universal, there is urgency in focusing on the Global South, where most of the vehicle growth is underway and projected to continue, and where the majority of urban dwellers use public or paratransit services and walk or cycle despite the lack of infrastructure for safe active mobility. Many cities in the Global South are already planning low-carbon public transport options, including electric buses. It is a matter of urgency to ensure that these investments scale up the use of clean technologies to not lock them into non-sustainable pathways. It is equally important to ensure that these public transport systems are integrated with active mobility interventions for safe walking and cycling.

Nepal has dispatched more than 22 tons of humanitarian emergency relief materials to Pakistan which has been devastated by monsoon-induced flash floods and inundation recently. The government was providing relief materials in view of the huge loss of lives and properties in the floods and inundation. The relief materials would be provided as per the decision of the Council of Ministers on September 6, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Nepal has also expressed tribute to those losing lives in the disaster, extended condolences to the bereaved family members, and wished speedy recovery to the injured ones. The relief materials have been flown to Karachi of Pakistan on a wide-body 303 aircraft of the national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation. Over 22 tons of relief materials are being sent as assistance to Pakistan and the flood affected people there, spokesperson of the Ministry, Sewa Lamsal, said in a press conference held at the Tribhuvan International Airport. According to her, the relief materials include essential medicines and other materials. Lamsal said this lot of relief materials is the biggest such assistance that the government has provided at any one time so far. “The relief materials sent to Pakistan at present is the largest amount that the Government of Nepal has sent to any country so far,” she said. The Ministry stated that the coordination and management of the relief materials has been possible through the relentless efforts of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Narayan Khadka. Minister Khadka saw off the team leaving for Karachi along with the relief assistance at the airport. A Nepali delegation led by spokesperson Lamsal has left for Karachi for handing over the relief materials. The delegation comprises of representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, officials from the Department of Health Services and journalists. The relief materials provided to Pakistan by Nepal include medicines, foodstuff, clothes and other essentials. Spokesperson Lamsal said the relief consignment will be handed over to the related Pakistani officials amidst a program at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi today.