Kathmandu, July 18 -- case scenario, up to 60,000 people across the country could get infected with the dengue virus this year. This is an estimation of the Ministry of Health and Population.

The number of people requiring hospitalisation for treatment and whether existing health facilities can cope with the patient flow have yet to be determined.

Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel has come up with a 'noble idea'-halting all construction activities for four months to lessen the scourge of dengue-spreading mosquitoes.

He floated the idea, which experts called 'bizarre', at a function organised to launch a month-long nationwide dengue campaign.

Public health experts and entomologists rejected the idea outright, as dengue f...