DHIRAJ HARMALKAR
dhiraj@herald-goa.com
VASCO: Dengue, the vector-borne disease has led to several suspected deaths in Goa, especially in the Mormugao Taluka and it has raised a concern as the entire medical fraternity and the State government is busy combating COVID-19 pandemic. This new challenge of controlling Dengue is also as imperative before it plagues the hotbed of cases.
It is apparent that municipal election led to the delay in the pre-monsoon work and the medical officials and doctors are mostly engaged in saving COVID patients.
It was very surprising in last two to three years there were reportedly numerous Dengue related deaths but the same has not been reflected in the database of official website of National Vector Borne Diseases Program. Efforts were also made to meet the in charge doctor of the Urban Health Centre of Vasco, but the doctor refused to give any data or information about any measures taken by them to stop Dengue outbreak, stating that all are busy in COVID19 management.
When contacted some people to get their reaction on this topic many felt that “prevention is better than cure”. They felt the need to prevent Dengue outbreak cases to surge when already people are finding it difficult to tackle COVID19 pandemic.
Dr Nitin Manjrekar a medical practitioner from Vasco felt that “It is well known fact that the COVID19 pandemic has overburdened everyone. But it is equally important to understand that in past few years Dengue has created havoc in the state and people have been badly affected and even lost their lives to this disease especially in Mormugao Taluka. Therefore to avoid such uncertainty it is better to take precautionary measures, such as doing pre-monsoon work, fogging etc to avoid mosquito breeding and prevent dengue from spreading.”
Damodar Divkar, RTI activist from Headland Sada also mentioned our newly elected councillors should come forward at this point of time and should identify the places or the houses which release their sewage directly in the drains. “Councillors must also create awareness in their wards about Dengue and should do follow up with the doctors of Health Department to keep periodical checks on the places which are more prone to mosquito breeding. He further said that people must also see that their surrounding is kept clean, their water barrels, containers are kept closed to avoid mosquito breeding etc,” said Divkar.
Alka Damle, another resident of Chicalim village said that since the doctors, government machinery is busy combating COVID and helping people during pandemic, it is the responsibility of the panch members and the councillors to create awareness among people on Dengue, undertake pre-monsoon and cleaning work in their respective wards. “They should not wait for the Chief Minister and other to give instructions and they should do this on their own for the betterment and safety of the people,” said Alka
Savio Correia, Lawyer from Vasco said that “there’s no doubt that our public health infrastructure is bursting at the seams. “The focus is entirely on COVID-19 management. While this national crisis rightly demands our attention, we must remember that vector-borne diseases are on the rise and risk increasing further as the focus shifts away from them. Vasco town has been a hotbed for Dengue cases. I have learnt that the annual preventive measures have been lacking this year. Hence, the Sub-District Hospital Chicalim has to be prepared to handle dengue and malaria outbreaks in the coming monsoon season, which may coincide with the “third wave”. Since initial clinical presentation is similar (fever and body ache) one could be ignored at the expense of the other,” he said
Doctors team of National Vector Borne Disease Program work towards eradication, creating awareness and inspecting the vulnerable locations where the mosquito breeding takes place. Among the vector-borne diseases among Malaria, viral fever, Nipah, Dengue has proven to be fatal to many people from Goa especially from the Mormugao Taluka as people from all age groups have fallen prey to it in last few years.
