MARGAO
Dengue cases are continuing to rise in South Goa, with both the number of laboratory-confirmed cases and hospital admissions at the Hospicio South Goa District Hospital showing no signs of declining.
Health officials have expressed concern over the trend, particularly because the number of cases has been steadily increasing since June, even as the monsoon-related conditions have varied over the past few months.
In just the first 10 days of August, the hospital laboratory has already detected 71 positive dengue cases, while 27 patients have been admitted. Health officials are particularly concerned that the August figures have been recorded in only 10 days, with the month still having three weeks to go.
The figures compiled by the South Goa District Hospital, however, relate only to dengue testing conducted at the hospital laboratory. Sources pointed out that the actual number of cases in the district could be considerably higher, given that patients from urban as well as rural areas may be undergoing testing and treatment at private hospitals, health centres and other medical facilities.
Medical Superintendent of the Hospicio South Goa District Hospital, Dr Rajendra Borkar, said a majority of the dengue cases being detected at the hospital were from South Goa.
What has particularly disturbed health officials is that the upward trend has shown no indication of abating. Instead, both positive cases and admissions have increased considerably over the past three months.
The hospital had recorded just nine laboratory-confirmed dengue cases and eight admissions in May. The numbers began to rise in June, when the hospital laboratory detected 38 positive cases, while 29 dengue patients were admitted.
Dr Borkar said the relatively low number of cases in May could be attributed to the prevailing weather conditions at the time. “This was a period when Goa did not witness rains and that explains why the cases were just few,” he said.
The situation changed from June onwards, with the onset of the monsoon and an increase in conditions conducive to mosquito breeding. The hospital laboratory recorded 39 dengue-positive cases in June, while admissions also increased to 29, indicating the beginning of a significant upward trend.
The rise became much more pronounced in July. According to hospital figures, 91 dengue-positive cases were detected in July, compared with 39 in June. Hospital admissions also surged from 29 in June to 79 in July.
“Going by the statistics, we can certainly say that there is a rise in dengue cases,” Dr Borkar said.
He added: “Maybe not all the cases are from South Goa. Someone from North Goa could have also been tested at the district hospital laboratory. But we can say that the majority of the cases are from South Goa.”
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Indoor breeding makes dengue harder to contain: Hospicio MS
MARGAO: Medical Superintendent of South Goa district hospital, Dr Rajendra Borkar, on Monday said the prevailing weather conditions offer a conducive environment for the breeding of mosquitoes.
Saying that dengue is an indoor breeder and biter, Dr Borkar cautioned residents that the breeding sites are normally found in and around residential houses. “This mosquito is a multiplier biter,” he said.
Unlike malaria, Dr Borkar said there is no specific treatment for dengue, saying that patients recover by themselves, with the health authorities only providing supportive care.
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More dengue cases reported at Police HQ? UHC says only 3
MARGAO: The Margao Urban Health Centre has intensified surveillance across the Margao municipal area as part of efforts to keep dengue under control.
A health team once again visited the Margao police station complex on Monday to carry out fogging and anti-larval operations following the detection of dengue cases at the police headquarters.
Margao Health Officer Dr Baptista Mascarenhas, however, clarified that only three dengue cases have so far been reported from the Margao police station premises.
While reports in certain quarters have suggested that as many as seven dengue cases were detected at the Margao police headquarters, Dr Baptista said that the Margao Urban Health Centre has received information about only three cases from the premises to date.
“Normally, hospitals and health centres notify the respective health centres about vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue when cases are confirmed by their laboratories. However, we have not received any such information from hospitals or health centres indicating that seven dengue cases have been reported at the Margao police headquarters,” he said.
“For the moment, the number of dengue cases reported from the Margao police headquarters is only three,” he added.
