Fighting dengue: Notices issued to homes for unsafe water storage

Panaji: With pre-monsoon showers hitting the state, the directorate of health services (DHS) has begun issuing notices under the Public Health Act to those found following unsafe water-storage practices, thus posing a risk of a dengue outbreak.
The directorate issued notices to house owners at Cortalim and Vasco, where water collection and mosquito breeding were repeatedly found at rented places.
“Despite several requests from our side to throw out the water, the unsafe storing of water continued, so we issued notices under Section 40 of the Public Health Act,” deputy director and in charge of the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Prevention Programme at the DHS, Dr Kalpana Mahatme, told TOI.
The notices have been issued to the owners of the premises being rented out to migrants.
Cortalim reported 12 dengue cases last year and Vasco, 10. Across Goa, the dengue count was 567 last year, with three deaths reported.
Last year, a large chunk of dengue cases was reported in the pre-monsoon season; the figure has come down comparatively this year.
This year, Goa reported 29 dengue cases from Jan to April, compared to 95 in the same period of 2024. The dengue mosquito, a day biter, is said to breed in and around houses, with water as little as 5ml being enough for breeding.
People, especially little children and the elderly, have been advised to cover themselves with long pants and long sleeves and take all precautions to avoid getting bitten.