The stool samples of five patients have tested positive for cholera, and the sample of one suspected patient is under screening, said Dr Runa Jha, director at NPHL.

According to the Teku Hospital, the stool samples of patients from Bagbazar, Dillibazar, Balkhu, and Kapan areas have tested positive for cholera. “At least six-eight patients are visiting the hospital daily complaining of frequent diarrhea. The number is rising every day,” according to the hospital.

“The confirmed cases are not concentrated in one area. The cases are scattered. This means the Kathmandu Valley is at a high risk of a cholera outbreak,” said Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, an expert in infectious disease. “The disease, I suspect, has already reached several parts of Kathmandu,” said Pun, adding at least 15-20 people might have cholera in Kathmandu.