The Union health ministry has already sent a six-member team to Kerala to monitor the Zika virus situation, joint secretary of the ministry Lav Agarwal said on Friday. The outbreak comes as the state is grappling with Covid-19 cases, the number of which is steady in the state, while in the rest of the country, the situation is rapidly improving. The team comprises health experts and vector-borne disease experts. The situation is under constant monitoring of the central government, Agarwal said.
On Friday, cases of Zika in Kerala went up to 14, following with the state government has sounded an alert. Among the infected was a 24-year-old pregnant woman who was diagnosed with the mosquito-transmitted disease on Thursday, which was the first case of the Zika virus in the state.
The symptoms are similar to dengue and they include fever, rashes and joint pain. Health Minister of the State Veena George said an action plan has been drawn up to control the spread of Zika. Pregnant women should get themselves tested if they have a fever, the minister said at a meeting of the District Medical Officers (DMOs).
“The disease was reported in a 24-year-old pregnant woman from Parassala who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. On June 28, the woman was admitted to the hospital with fever, headache, and red spots. Her samples showed that she contracted Zika virus, for confirming the samples have been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune,” said state health minister.
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