'Zika Virus' the emerging new challenge for Kerala? Centre rushes expert team to monitor the situation
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Thiruvananthapuram, July 10: After at least 14 cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Kerala, the state has been put on high alert. Taking the earlier precautions, the union health ministry has also rushed a six-member central team of experts to the state.
The six-member central team will monitor the Zika virus situation and support the state government in the management of cases. The six-member team will comprise public health experts, vector-borne disease experts, and clinicians from AIIMS.
At the press conference, the joint secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal said, "There are some Zika cases which have been reported from Kerala. To monitor the situation and to support the state government, a six-member team comprising public health experts, vector-borne disease experts, and clinicians from AIIMS has already been issued instructions to reach there and support the state government in terms of management of Zika there."
Yesterday, 14 were found to be positive for Zika Virus. According to the state health ministry, a 24-year-old pregnant woman from Parasala in Thiruvananthapuram district was the first to test positive for Zika.
Soon after this Health minister Veena George called an emergency meeting and formulated an action plan to curb this virus. “We have started a vigorous vector control program and the whole state was alerted. We are monitoring the situation closely and more testing labs will be opened,” said the minister.
New Challenge for Veena George
Amid the COVID 19 situation in the state, this latest outbreak will be the new challenge for Health Minister Veena George who has recently took the charge of the former K. K. Shailaja.
Shailaja was the school teacher and former health minister of Kerala. Under her leadership, Kerala successfully contains the Nipah virus during 2019. Apart from it, K. K. Shailaja has received international attention for her leadership in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala. She was invited by the United Nations to participate in a panel discussion on United Nations Public Service Day 2020, for her efforts to fight COVID-19 in her state on June 23, 2020.
However, ignoring her efforts, the Communist Party of India dropped Shailaja, the face of Kerala’s fight against Nipah and Covid-19 during her stint as health minister, and selected Veena George as new Health Minister. This decision led to lots of criticism from politicians world.
As the health crisis is arising in Kerala, it will seem to be interesting to watch how Veena George will handle the current situation.
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