Land sale invites
Malaria
Sandesh Prabhudesai
4 July 2007
Cases of deadly malaria, especially plasmodium falciparum,
are suddenly rising in Goa, due to increasing activity of
construction.
Massive land buying spree in the tourist state last year
is witnessing equally large number of construction activity.
Compared to 1058 cases out of which 148 were falciparum from
January to May last year, the cases reported this year in
last five months are 2122 including 666 falciparum, informed
Dr Dipak Kabadi, deputy director of the state health authorities.
While the malaria cases rise during monsoons, Dr Kabadi seemed
concerned about the alarming rise in May itself. Compared
to 268 cases last year, the summer-month reported 580 cases
this year. Even the falciparum cases have risen from 53 to
139, he added.
The mosquito borne disease hit the tourist state in 1986
with 433 cases including three falciparum. Within a decade,
the number rose to 11,632 cases and 1539 falciparum causing
10 deaths in 1996. The following year was the worst hit with
21,025 cases, 5827 falciparum and 57 deaths.
The state authorities, in co-operation with the media and
the people, succeeded in reducing the number substantially.
Only 5010 cases were reported last year. It included 1196
falciparum cases causing seven deaths.
According to Dr Kabadi, almost 90 per cent of these patients
are the migrant construction workers. "It is very difficult
to keep check on them as they keep on moving while the builders
and the contractors do not co-operate", he complained.
The health department recently fined even the state-owned
Goa State Infrastructural Development Corporation, for not
complying with the rules while starting its construction work.
They neither sought permission from the health department
nor registered the workers for health cards.
The works taken up at the office of the Drugs and Food Administration
near Panaji market and the sewage work on Miramar-Dona Paula
road found lots of water clogging, resulting into mosquito
breeding.
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