Panaji: With extensive source reduction drives, house-to-house visits and tracking of fever cases, Goa has seen only 10 confirmed cases of dengue in June this year as against 60 confirmed cases in the same month of last year.
“All 10 cases have been reported in North Goa, while not a single case has been reported in South Goa,” said Dr Kalpana Mahatme, state programme officer and deputy director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
Of the 10 cases, six cases are in Mapusa, while one each is in Candolim, Aldona, Siolim and Porvorim.
“The cases reported in Mapusa are mainly of those living in rental accommodations in Khorlim and the industrial estate in Karaswada. We will have to focus and keep a close vigil in these areas so that we don’t see additional cases here,” she said.
This year, during the first six months, the state reported 43 cases of dengue as against 176 cases during the corresponding period last year. In May last year, the state saw 21 cases, and a sudden surge was seen in the cases in June when 60 cases were reported.
“As nearly 40 per cent of the cases of dengue reported last year were during the pre-transmission season, at the beginning of the year itself we came out with a strategy to prevent dengue, and we have seen a decline in the cases. But we still have to work hard so that we don’t see any cases now during the transmission season,” she said.
“During the entire year in 2024, a total of 948 source reduction drives were conducted, but this year, during the first five months itself, we carried out 1,117 drives. This has helped in the destruction of the possible breeding receptacles,” she said.
Similarly, 3,47,000 houses were checked for mosquito breeding during the entire year, while this year, till May, 1,99,000 houses have been visited already.
Dr Mahatme said, “As dengue can be fatal, people have to be very careful and take care of their health. To prevent mosquito breeding in their houses and surroundings, they can take small steps like preventing water stagnation in the flower pots and planter plates and also destroying possible breeding receptacles,” she said.
