PANAJI/ VASCO: Following reports on the rise of dengue cases in the port town of Vasco, director of health services has ordered for an enquiry. Director of health services Dr Sanjeev Dalvi to ‘The Navhind Times’ that the enquiry would be conducted by a senior official.
He said, “I have asked the deputy director to hold an enquiry and report on the news.”
Asked about the report published by ‘The Navhind Times’ that a five-year-old girl died of suspected dengue fever, Dalvi said that he would be able to comment only after the report by the deputy director is submitted. The girl from Headland-Sada died of suspected dengue at the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim. However, health officer of the Vasco urban health centre Dr Rashmi Khandeparkar had claimed that the health centre has not found any dengue case around the place where the girl had been residing.
Putting the government on caution, Vasco-based Techno Clin Pathological and Research Laboratory’s chief executive officer Sanad Joshi has claimed that there are a large number of dengue cases in and around Vasco.
A special meeting of MMC councillors, officials from the health department and the municipality, and the deputy collector was held on Thursday to chalk out plans to curb spread of viral diseases. The meeting had been called by Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, who asked the municipal and the health authorities to start drives on cleanliness, spraying and fogging in all the wards in consultation with councillors
The meeting was attended by deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate, Mormugao, Gaurish Shankhwalkar; Mormugao municipal council chairperson Deepak Naik; chief officer Deepali Naik, health officer of Vasco urban health centre Dr Rashmi Khandeparkar; councillors Yatin Kamurlekar, Nandadeep Raut, Fredrick Henriques, Dhanpal Swami, Rochana Borkar, Vandana Satardekar and Reema Sonurlekar.
The MLA also asked the officials to focus on the surroundings of schools, including Our Lady of Candelaria High School, Baina; St Joseph Institute, Vasco; St Theresa’s High School Mangor Hill and Mata Secondary School, Baina.
“The health and municipal authorities must start awareness programmes in all the wards…” Almeida said.
The officials were also asked to constitute a joint team to keep a tab on all localities.
Almeida directed the meeting attendees to procure fogging machines if there is shortage.
Spraying and fogging drives will kickstart on August 26 in ward-11, which will be extended to other wards: ward-23 (August 29), ward-22 (August 30), ward-21 (August 31), ward-20 (September 1), ward-10 (September 2), ward- 15 (September 3).
Second phase of the drives will resume in the remaining wards after the Ganesh Chaturthi.
Dr Khandeparkar said the health authorities would initiate cleanliness and fogging drives in coordination with the municipality.
She, however, maintained that there are fewer dengue cases in and around Vasco, but malaria cases are more.
Dr Khandeparkar called for coordination from pathological and research laboratories in fighting off the disease.
On the other hand, Joshi said that there has been a drastic decline in cases of seasonal diseases as compared to the previous season.
“Due to effective cleanliness drives, cases of viral diseases have come down drastically in and around Vasco area,” Joshi said.