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2 more cases of Zika virus confirmed in Kerala; infection tally reaches 21
The first case of Zika virus was detected in Kerala last week and since then, 20 more have been added to the tally. Zika cases surfaced at a time when the state is grappling with heavy caseload of Covid-19 cases.
The number of people affected with the Zika virus in Kerala reached 21 after two more cases were confirmed on Tuesday. Both the cases are from Thiruvananthapuram suburbs, state health minister Veena George said.
"Two more people in the state have been diagnosed with the Zika virus. A 35-year-old resident of Poonthura and a 41-year-old resident of Sasthamangalam. With this, 21 Zika virus cases are confirmed in the state," said George.
The first case surfaced on Wednesday last week when a 24-year-old pregnant woman from Parasala in Thiruvananthapuram district tested positive for Zika virus. Two days later, 14 more people were added to the list.
On July 12 (Monday), a 73-year-old woman tested positive for Zika virus. On Sunday, three people, including a toddler, had contracted the virus.
The Kerala government launched a state-wide vector-borne disease control programme after the cases of Zika virus started surfacing. It also arranged testing facilities at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode Medical colleges and at National Institute of Virology (NIV), Alappuzha.
The health minister said on Sunday that hospitals have been instructed to test patients, especially pregnant women, with fever, rashes and body pain.
According to experts, Zika is not a major malady and can be controlled with effective vector-borne disease control programmes. The virus is spread mostly through mosquitoes but it can also be transmitted through casual sex and fatality rate among patients is very low and only one in five develops symptoms, they added.
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which share their borders with Kerala, have increased surveillance in border districts. Travellers arriving from Kerala through various modes of transport are being checked at the point of entry such as bus terminus and railway stations.
Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that also transmit dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
