10 more people test positive for Zika in Kanpur

Another 10 people, which included three Indian Air Force personnel, tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur on Sunday, even as the first case of the virus was reported from neighbouring Kannauj district, taking the total number of confirmed infections in Uttar Pradesh to 90, officials said

Another 10 people, which included three Indian Air Force personnel, tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur on Sunday, even as the first case of the virus was reported from neighbouring Kannauj district, taking the total number of confirmed infections in Uttar Pradesh to 90, officials said.

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“Out of the 89 infected people (in Kanpur), 55 are men and 34 are women. Among these, 23 are those who are below the age of 21. Of the total infected persons, 12 are Indian Air Force personnel. This includes 11 men and one woman,” Kanpur district magistrate Vishak G Iyer said.

Health personnel have collected blood samples of 525 people between Thursday and Saturday, and the samples have been sent to the virology lab of the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow and the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, officials said. So far, a total of 3,283 samples have been collected from the city.

“Of this, 23 samples tested positive for Zika virus,” the district magistrate added.

Iyer also said that health teams have collected samples of people who were in close contact with the infected persons and living in the radius of 3km of Indian Air Force station hangars for testing.

Meanwhile, Kannauj district also reported its first Zika virus case on Saturday, chief medical officer Dr Vinod Kumar said. “A 45-year-old person has tested positive of Zika virus in Kapoorpur Katri village under Sadar tehsil of the district... Samples of 32 people were sent for testing, and one sample tested positive,” Kumar said, adding that as of now, the condition of the patient is stable, and he is being administered treatment at his home.

The person who tested positive had recently travelled to Kanpur’s Shivrajpur area, officials said.

According to Kanpur chief medical officer Nepal Singh, all the city’s new cases were found in localities adjoining the Indian Air Force base in Chakeri. In addition, one of 50 captured mosquitoes sent to the National Malaria Research Institute in New Delhi has tested positive for tge Zika virus, confirmed GK Mishra, additional director health, Kanpur division.

He said the malaria control department had sent these samples for the test. This is the first time that a mosquito sample sent in three batches has tested positive for Zika.

The first case of the virus was reported in Kanpur on October 23 when a warrant officer of the IAF tested positive for the infection.

With agency inputs