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Centre rushes team to UP over Zika case
The Centre on Monday rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Uttar Pradesh, where a case of Zika virus was reported last week
The Centre on Monday rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Uttar Pradesh, where a case of Zika virus was reported last week.
In a statement, the Union health ministry said: “The multidisciplinary team comprising an entomologist, public health specialists and gynaecologist drawn from National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, National Centre for Disease Control and Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi, has been deployed by Union Health Ministry to assist the State Health authorities for control and containment measures of the Zika virus disease.”
A 57-year-old man from Kanpur tested positive for the virus on Friday.
The patient, an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, showed symptoms of the virus, including fever, over the last few days and was admitted to the Air Force Hospital in the district. His blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the test turned positive.
The samples of 22 people, who came in contact with the IAF officer tested negative, an official had earlier said.
“The central team will work closely with the state health department, take stock of the situation on the ground and assess whether the Union health ministry’s action plan for Zika management is being implemented,” the health ministry’s statement said.
“The team will also recommend necessary public health interventions for management of Zika in the state of Uttar Pradesh,” it added.
The viral disease is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.
On July 8, Kerala was the first state to record a case of Zika virus after a pregnant woman tested positive.
In August, Maharashtra reported its first case after a 50-year-old woman Pune’s Purandar tehsil was infected.
Multiple teams of the central government, comprising health experts, were earlier sent to both the affected states to review the situation.
At least 60 cases of the viral disease have been reported in India so far this year. The country regularly holds surveillance as there have been sporadic mini-outbreaks in the past.
