MARGAO: With the rains setting in, awareness drives by health centres in Salcete to combat and prevent diseases caused by the mosquitoes have begun.
Surveillance workers have been assigned areas and directed to visit each construction site twice, take slides, which are then tested and treatment given.
Citizens have demanded that besides deputing additional staff to provide better care to patients, extra stocks of medicines should be maintained to tackle the communicable diseases during the monsoon.
Another demand is to deploy field staff in the campaign against monsoon diseases.
The Urban Heath Centre, Margao has taken various steps including cleanliness drives in high risk areas in Margao, Fatorda, Loutolim and other places. In few places, fish have been put in several wells which eat the mosquito larvae. Sources in the health centre said that a dry spell after rains is an ideal time for mosquito breeding and thus renewed threat of malaria in its more complicated form usually spread its tentacles, but this time all preventive measure have been taken.
Dr Geeta Kakodkar of the Urban Health Centre, Margao told media persons that during the last five years, the cases of malaria have come down.
In the year 2005, in all 1184 patients were detected with malaria, of which 134 were suffering from falciparum, while in 2006, the cases got reduced to 935, of which 193 were of falciparum.
In the 2007, in all 1291 cases were detected, of which 291 were of falciparum while in 2008 in all 1107 cases were detected, of which 222 cases were of falciparum.
In the year 2009, in all 458 cases were detected of which 73 cases were of falciparum. This year, till May 133 cases have been detected, of which 9 were of falciparum.
Sources in the Hospicio Hospital, Margao said that there has been a sudden rise in diarrhoea and other communicable diseases in several parts of the city for the past few days.
Many doctors in the city informed they have noticed around 30 per cent increase in seasonal diseases this time. The local health authorities informed that warm temperatures and humidity help in breeding of mosquitoes and June and July are the peak period for malarial attack. It is said that falciparum malaria is a more serious kind of the disease which is associated with high fever, affecting either kidneys or the brain. The latter form, is known as cerebral malaria. In the absence of timely treatment, it often proves fatal.
Some of the residents from Fatorda alleged that anti-mosquito sprays and fumigation are either non-existent, or at the best erratic and selective.
Even after the higher authorities have issued explicit directions to the civic body to draw a comprehensive schedule for fumigation, more than a two weeks ago, and further asked the officials of the Health Department to supervise the operations, the desired action remains elusive, they claimed.
However, the chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council, Mr Savio Coutinho said that all drains have been cleared and new drains have been constructed for the rain water to flow freely.
He further said that they have promoted awareness programmes and capacity building training programmes in the area.
MMC is promoting awareness programmes through different means with an active involvement of Department of Health and others, said the chairperson.
