The Goa government has prohibited mosquito fogging by individuals, private agencies and resident associations without prior approval from the competent health authority, warning that unauthorized operations pose serious health and environmental risks. According to the Health Department such unauthorized fogging was a matter of 'serious concern' as indiscriminate use of insecticides could pose health hazards to people, particularly children, elderly persons, pregnant women and individuals with respiratory illnesses.But the rising tide of positive dengue cases underscores the threat that the Aedes aegypti mosquito is thriving in the monsoon conditions and the spectre of dengue is unarguably back. Officials blame stagnant water at construction sites, open storage in households which are fertile breeding grounds for the mosquito. Migrant construction worker settlements are another contributing factor for the surge, the official said. In early August, multiple police personnel at Margao police station were hit and days earlier, half a dozen fire services staff at Porvorim had also similarly tested positive. The Health Department needs to step up surveillance, fumigation and awareness campaigns with its teams, along with local panchayats, working continuously to eliminate breeding grounds.
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
