PANAJI:
Doctors, paramedics and others continue to be kept on their toes in September with dengue cases in the State rising, which health officials blame on the Ganesh festival holiday season when tourists flocked here in droves.
Also, between January and September this year, the total cases overall in the State has also shown a significant increase as compared to the same nine-month period last year.
In the January-September of 2023, the State had 320 dengue cases reported which has risen to 443 cases, which is a nearly 50 percent increase.
At nearly three per day, the tally of dengue cases in September breached last year's figure and was also 10 more than the numbers reported in August.
The one consolation for health officials tasked with tackling the dengue threat is that in September the number of positive cases was 90 -- 37 in North Goa and and 53 in the South -- a figure much lower than the 130 reported in this month last year.
Margao was also the worst hit city in September reporting 15 cases followed by 10 in Balli, eight apiece in Mapusa and Siolim while 6 cases each in Colvale and Cortalim.
Porvorim, Vasco, Aldona, Valpoi, Chimbel, Canacona Saligao, Chinchinim and Navelim are some of the other locales in Goa where at least one case has been detected.
Health officials meanwhile cited the heavy rains between June and July, which create conducive conditions for mosquitoes to breed, as the apparent cause for the increase in the number of cases.
Meanwhile health workers continue to spray insecticides to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and consequently the spread of dengue.
A year's gap
In January, Goa had 35 cases as against just four last year in the same month. The gap widened in February with 20 dengue cases reported as against just seven last year.
