Panaji: With Goa recording cases of dengue even before the monsoon setting in, health services said people with symptoms of the disease, such as severe abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, low blood pressure and bleeding along with a fever, must seek medical help without delay.
“A person should not wait until bleeding starts because they can develop complications, reducing chances of recovery,” said deputy director in charge of the national vector-borne disease control programme, Dr Kalpana Mahatme, at a National Dengue Day programme, at the South Goa district hospital, on Thursday.
When a patient is brought in early, symptomatic treatment is started as soon as the rapid test NS1 is positive or clinically suspected, without waiting for the confirmatory test result, Mahatme said. A confirmatory test is important for the department to record the statistic.
Last year, Goa reported three dengue deaths and 512 infections. The best treatment for dengue is hydration, said Dr Milind Desai, director of Imperial Hospital, who was the chief guest at the programme.
“Hydration is the most important factor that decides the outcome of the patient. Drink a lot of water — at least 3-4 litres. The best way to identify if a person is well hydrated is if the colour of urine is the colour of water. A dry, parched tongue is a sign of dehydration,” he said, adding that a person will have to be admitted if found to be vomiting and unable to retain fluids.
Although people panic about their platelet count in the case of dengue, transfusion is not required in a vast majority of patients. Yet, one must stay vigilant, he added.
TOI had reported that Goa has already been reporting dengue cases prior to the transmission season beginning. This is due to a surge of the disease in neighbouring states.
Dr Pratista Kunkolienkar, who is in charge of the vector-borne disease control programme at the Margao urban health centre, said plates kept under potted plants are the most common breeding sites in urban areas for the dengue mosquito. Other receptacles identified by health workers were home utensils, shoes, coconut shells, unused bottles, plastic containers, tyres, thermacol boxes, helmets, flush tanks, commodes, urinals, plastic cans, coconut tree logs, barrels, buckets, etc.
She requested people to clean their compounds and ensure that water doesn’t collect or stagnate in and around their homes.
Mahatme said even 5ml of water is enough for the dengue mosquito, which breeds in and around homes, to lay thousands of eggs.
Clusters of dengue cases are common as the mosquito, which is a day-biter, ends up biting several people to satisfy its requirement. This is not seen in the case of the malaria mosquito, which is a night-biter and often completes its requirement after feeding on a single person.
