Kerala reports 2 more Zika virus cases; total tally rises to 48: Health minister

The fresh cases have been detected in a 27-year-old resident from Kazhakoottam, and a 37-year-old from Pangappara – both in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, a government release stated.

Two more persons have tested positive for the Zika virus in Kerala, thereby taking the overall infection tally to 48 in the state, health minister Veena George said on Sunday.

None of the infected patients in the state are admitted in hospital and all are stable as well, a government release stated.

Of these 48 infected people, a total of four are active patients, George added.

The fresh cases have been detected in a 27-year-old resident from Kazhakoottam, and a 37-year-old from Pangappara – both in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, a government release stated.

The presence of the virus in their samples was found after tests were conducted at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College’s virology laboratory. Moreover, none of the infected patients in the state are admitted in hospital and all are stable as well, the release added.

Kerala on Saturday had reported two fresh cases of Zika virus, following which the cumulative tally stood at 46. In a statement, the state government said that till July 24, the active case count in Kerala was five, according to Livemint.

To combat the increasing number of Zika virus cases in Kerala amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the health minister had earlier ordered intensification of activities such as fogging for mosquitoes, in affected areas. She said that the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation and the district administration would be “fogging for the next seven days,” as per the Livemint report.

Notably, the first case of the Zika virus was confirmed in Kerala on July 9.

Meanwhile, the state recorded 17,466 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases so far to 3,271,530, according to the bulletin update by the state government. As many as 66 new fatalities were reported, following which, the death toll now stands at 16,035. A total of 15,247 fresh recoveries have taken the total number of recovered patients to 3,114,716. The state’s active caseload currently is 140,276, the government bulletin showed.

(With inputs from agencies)