This story is from August 23, 2019

‘Spike in dengue cases due to dry spell during rains’

Public health experts are worried that the ongoing dry spell in the state could be conducive to the breeding of disease-carrying mosquitoes—in particular, the day-biter Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue.
‘Spike in dengue cases due to dry spell during rains’
PANAJI: Public health experts are worried that the ongoing dry spell in the state could be conducive to the breeding of disease-carrying mosquitoes—in particular, the day-biter Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue.
While continuous rain washes away stagnant puddles, the humid, sunny weather that has followed weeks of heavy rain in Goa has created ideal breeding conditions for the mosquito species, they say.

Dengue is the more serious viral disease as it spreads much faster than malaria and chikungunya, and could even prove fatal.
Health services staff are cautioning residents to ensure that there is no stagnant water in their surroundings. They are especially concerned about Tiswadi, where residents have been storing water in all available containers due to the water shortage.
Dengue must not be taken lightly, a doctor at the directorate of health services stated, adding that when treated, the fatality in dengue cases was around 5% but if left untreated, as many as 20% of patients could die.
Those with fever and suspecting dengue must get themselves checked by a doctor immediately, and not self-medicate as anti-inflammatory drugs have an anti-platelet effect that could be potentially fatal in case the fever turns out to be dengue. Doctors report that patients who try self-medicating a fever suffer from dangerously low platelet counts by the time they seek medical attention and are diagnosed with dengue.

During recent visits to homes where cases of dengue were reported, health officers found mosquitoes breeding in the trays under potted plants, in air coolers, utensils and buckets and even in an unused aquarium tank filled with water.
Unlike malaria that is more common among the migrant population and labourers at construction sites who sleep outdoors at night, the dengue mosquito is a day-biter and a domestic breeder—anybody can get bitten.
“Even 5 ml of water is enough for the Aedes aegypti mosquito to breed in,” Dr Anant Palyekar, deputy director of the national vector borne diseases control programme said.
“Consumerism has also increased breeding sites. Mosquitoes breed in the smallest of plastic containers that people use and throw,” he pointed out. “At homes, just emptying water from containers is not enough as the Aedes aegypti eggs continue to survive. You have to empty the container, scrub it clean, dry it and then refill it,” Dr Palyekar said.
No sooner a dengue case is suspected, health services visits the area to find out where water is stagnating, introduces antilarval measures and also fogs the area with insecticide.
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