NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Unlike the national capital, Goa is not under the threat of dengue or chikungunya outbreaks. However, sporadic instances have occurred and in 2016 until August, 90 cases of dengue and 32 cases of chikungunya have been detected.
Speaking to this daily, Deputy Director of Health Services Dr Chandrakant Porob said that unlike 2015 when the state had witnessed sudden outbreak of dengue in a few localities, this year there has been no outbreak of either dengue or chikungunya.
“This year Goa has not seen any outbreak of the vector-borne diseases but there have been sporadic cases of dengue and chikungunya,” he stated.
Porob, who is also the chief medical officer for National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) in Goa, informed that between January and August this year, the state has detected 32 chikungunya cases, 90 dengue and 475 malaria cases.
He further said that it is essential that people follow the seven commandments of clean surroundings. “By following the seven commandments, that is covering, cleaning, converting, conditioning, creating, cooperating and communicating, the possibilities of vector-borne diseases can be curbed,” he said.
He informed that houses, buildings and residential complexes with overhead tanks, sumps, fountains, vases and discarded items which allow water collection, could be potential breeding sites for the mosquitoes. “Hence everyone needs to ensure that water collection does not become a source for mosquito breeding. Therefore we need to maintain environmental sanitation and prevent stagnation of water in and around these areas,” he asserted.
Dr Porob further informed that all vector borne diseases including malaria, filaria, dengue, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis are notifiable diseases as per state government notification. All private clinics, practicing doctors and pathology labs are mandated to inform the nearest government health centre about every case that comes across to them.
“If notified then preventive action can be taken and outbreak of disease prevented,” he added.
He said that people should not wait until the last minute and visit the nearest health centre when suffering from fever to receive early treatment and prevent complications as there are no specific medicines to cure dengue and chikungunya but building immunity to the virus is the only way out.