Vasco PHC takes malaria, dengue prevention measures

Vasco: The Urban health centre in Vasco on Thursday had a meeting of supervisors construction sites in Mormugaotaluka to create awareness about dengue and malaria fever. The supervisors have been informed to send migrant labourers for health check-ups and issue health cards to them before they are appointed to work at construction sites.
The deputy director of the directorate of health services, Dr Chandrakant Parab, told TOI, “Most of the times labourers work on sites which are breeding sites of such diseases, and when they travel they carry the parasite in their body.Therefore it is important that they are thoroughly checked and health cards are issued to them.”
The labourers can do their check-ups at any primary health centre for free. Dr Parab said, “Many times during the first medical test a person will not be detected with dengue or malaria. These fever occurs on alternate days and stays in human body for more than five days. Therefore, we suggest repeating the test.”
Dr Parab pointed out that there has been a considerable reduction in dengue cases in Goa. In 2015, 651 locally transmitted malaria cases were detected, while in 2016, from January to April only 82 cases have been reported. The teams from the health department go from door to door and check any potential breeding grounds.
The health officer at the urban health centre Dr Rashmi Bandekar said, “There is nothing to panic. The only way of getting rid of dengue and malaria is wiping off breeding grounds. No water should be stored openly without changing it on regular basis. At times, it goes unnoticed, but many houses unknowingly provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”
The department holds meetings frequently with councillors, public, construction workers and will target schools after they re-open. The local MLA and power minister Milind Naik has asked the health department to limit the use of fogging as it is injurious to public health. On this issue, Dr Parab said, “Any chemical used in an open environment settles back on human body and is therefore harmful. Also regular use of fogging may result in mosquitoes developing resistance to it. The best solution is not allowing these mosquitoes to breed by keeping the environs clean.”