PANAJI
Goa has recorded more than double the number of confirmed dengue cases so far this year, with a sharp escalation in infections during August and September pushing the State's tally to 136 cases up to September, compared to 64 during the corresponding period last year.
The surge has been particularly pronounced in the past two months -- August and September. The State recorded 46 confirmed dengue cases in August and 66 in September this year, compared to just four cases each in August and September 2025.
This means the State recorded 112 confirmed cases in just two months this year, against only eight during the corresponding period last year.
Interestingly, dengue numbers were lower during the first seven months of the year. The coastal state recorded 24 confirmed cases between January and July this year, compared to 56 during the same period in 2025. The sharp reversal came from August onwards.
The September data also shows a heavy concentration of cases in South Goa. Of the 66 confirmed cases recorded during the month, 63 were from South Goa, while North Goa recorded three. The surveillance data for September further showed 532 suspected cases testing positive for NS1, an antigen marker used for early detection of dengue infection. Of these, 428 were from South Goa and 104 from North Goa. The NS1 figures represent suspected/early detections and should not be equated with the 66 laboratory-confirmed cases. However, the substantial number of NS1-positive cases indicates a much wider pool of suspected dengue infections being detected during the month. South Goa accounted for nearly 81 per cent of the NS1-positive cases and about 95 per cent of the confirmed dengue cases in September. The month-wise confirmed figures show the sudden change in trend: 2026 recorded five cases in January, one in February, four in March, one in April, five in May, one in June and seven in July, before jumping to 46 in August and 66 in September.
