Zika outbreak in Kerala
Kerala detected first case of Zika virus on Thursday after a 24-year-old pregnant woman near Thiruvananthapuram tested positive for the disease. More Zika case has been reported on Monday and taking the total case count to 18. After reporting more number of cases and more samples were sent for testing to find out whether there was any spread of this virus in the district.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes species of mosquito named Aedes aegypti. The Zika Virus Disease (ZVD) presents with symptoms like fever, rashes, conjunctivitis and joint pain. However, few people die from ZVD and only one in five develops symptoms. It leads to shrunken brain in children and a rare auto-immune disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
A team of experts has sent to Kerala by central government after the outbreak was reported. According to joint secretary (health ministry) Lav Agarwal, the six-member team includes vector-borne disease experts and doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Kerala Health Minister Veena George in a press release said, there are 18 confirmed cases of zika infection in Kerala. She also said an action plan has been drawn up to control the spread of Zika. According to the state health department, 2,100 test kits were received from NIV Pune. Of these, 1,000 have been given to Thiruvananthapuram, 500 to NIV in Alappuzha, and 300 each to Thrissur and Kozhikode.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/84292312.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-zika-virus-cases-toddler-among-infected-1826760-2021-07-11
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/14-zika-virus-cases-confirmed-in-kerala-1826119-2021-07-09
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/13-more-zika-virus-cases-detected-in-thiruvananthapuram/articleshow/84285275.cms
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57759807
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/as-zika-virus-spreads-in-kerala-tamil-nadu-and-karnataka-step-up-vigil-101625969500482.html