THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Even though there have been several dengue outbreaks in many pockets of the State, most recently in the capital city, the government appears to have no method in mind to prevent the outbreak and subsequent spread of the disease, relying instead on the common man to use their better judgement and not allow mosquitoes to breed.
With outbreaks now taking place in even so-called 'elite' parts of town like Dona Paula, Miramar and Caranzalem, health officials and workers are trying to educate people in these areas on how to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Dr Anant Palekar, deputy director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control programme told ‘The Goan’ on Tuesday that preventing the outbreak of dengue has to be a “people's movement”, and that there is a limit to which health workers can go door-to-door convincing people to get rid of stagnant water lying in their homes.
“It has become a nightmare especially after the water-cut, as people have stored water in whatever containers they could find, which has given rise to a number of mosquito-breeding areas. Everyone wants us to come and fog their areas, but they do not want to take more care at home,” Dr Palekar said.
Information obtained from the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) reveals that there have been 79 confirmed cases of dengue from January to July this year. The number for August will be available only in September.
No confirmed deaths from dengue have been registered yet, he said.
Palekar also stated that even though dengue outbreaks have been widely reported this year, confirmed cases of dengue from January to July have been less than half than the same period last year. Last year saw 195 confirmed cases in this period.
Meanwhile, treatment of dengue is tougher than other vector borne diseases as dengue is a viral fever, and treatment differs from patient to patient, the doctor said.
Meanwhile, leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat demanded that the Health Department immediately take quick action to prevent the spread of vector borne disease dengue. "As soon as a case is detected, officials need to inspect the area. With Ganesh Chaturthi approaching, people will go to their home towns in large numbers, and the situation could get out of hand if not brought under control," Kamat said.
