Team Herald
MARGAO: A suspected case of dengue appears to have claimed the life of a five-year-old kindergartner of a Chicalim school on Monday.
It may be recalled that the kindergartner was among the 11 students and two school staff members to have afflicted with the disease last week. He was laid to rest later in the day.
The school authorities along with the Panchayat and Chicalim Health Centre fumigated the area more than three times in the last 7 days. However, many questions remain unanswered about the source of the outbreak. The residents allege that the two construction sites in the school vicinity are the main cause of the outbreak.
When contacted, Dr Rashmi Khandeparker could not confirm whether the victim succumbed to dengue.
Dr Khandeparker claimed that there were a few mosquito breeding grounds within the school complex but however, claimed that no dengue cases were reported. The doctor dismissed the possibility that dengue could have originated at the construction site.
However, local residents informed that there have been three cases of security guards from a neighbouring complex to have suffered from dengue and another three cases at a building situated near the school.
While some victims have recovered, others are reportedly still undergoing treatment. Francisco Nunes, a resident of Chicalim has written to the Deputy Collector of Vasco to take cognisance of the issue.
