PANAJI
Health officials are leaning towards putting greater focus on clinical management of both confirmed as well as 'suspected' cases of dengue even as they continue the efforts on the preventive front, engaging with communities in endemic areas and where fresh cases are detected.
The move comes on the back of one death in July of a confirmed dengue patient -- a five year old boy in Rumdamol, Navelim -- and another more recent case of a 16 year old college student from Khandola who died while undergoing treatment at Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim.
A top official in the health department said, the two deaths have marred the efforts of the medical team which has been working round the clock to tackle the dengue threat.
The decision to pay more focus on treatment management was taken at a recent review meeting of doctors from the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) which was chaired by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
While efforts to engage with the community creating awareness on preventive measures will continue a separate team will now be deployed to assist people who have tested positive and also those who are suspected cases to get treatment early which is key to managing the disease.
At the end of June, Goa had logged 177 confirmed cases of Dengue but no fatality. That changed in July with the death of the 5-year-old boy from Rumdamol. Earlier this month, this year's dengue toll went up by one to two with the death of the 17-year-old Khandola College student at the GMCH.
Health officials acknowledge that the dengue situation could get worse in the next two months, before the end of the monsoon.
In fact over the July-August two month period, the health department's team has seen cases crop up in newer areas, prompting it to add to the list of 'high risk' areas the jurisdictions of the health centres at Aldona and Saligao.
Listing areas as high risk brings them under the focused review of the dengue situation in these areas 'high risk areas on a weekly basis. The department also simultaneously deputes health officers to these areas to lead the charge against dengue.
Apart from the latest entrants -- Saligao and Aldona -- the DHS's 'high dengue risk' areas list already has Candolim, Siolim, Panaji, Margao, Porvorim, Chimbel and Vasco.
