Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram district reports 13 cases of Zika virus
Zika virus was first detected among monkeys in Uganda in 1947, and was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district reported a total of 13 Zika virus cases on Thursday. The samples collected were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
According to the World Health Organisation, Zika virus is caused by Aedes mosquitoes, known for being active during the day. It was first detected among monkeys in Uganda in 1947, and was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus have been detected in Asia, Africa, America and the Pacific islands.
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The incubation period of Zika virus is between 3 to 14 days, and a majority of people infected by it do not develop any actual symptoms. Some milder symptoms, exhibited by few individuals, include fever, rashes, headache, muscle and joint pain etc. Zika virus is also known to trigger Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis, especially in adults and children.
The virus is also known for causing congenital abnormalities and microcephaly in a developing foetus and a newborn.
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Brazil weathered a particularly dangerous outbreak of the Zika virus in 2015 due to which more than 1,600 Brazilian children were born with devastating microcephaly.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) had successfully isolated the Zika virus for the very first time in November of 2018. In India, the first local outbreak of Zika virus was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district in July, 2017.