Zika Virus Outbreak: Five more people test positive for virus in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, July 15: The number of people affected with the Zika virus in Kerala reached 28 after five more people tested positive for the Zika infection on Thursday. All five cases of the Zika virus have been reported from Thiruvananthapuram.

 

State Health Minister Veena George during the media briefing informed that five more people in the state have been diagnosed with the Zika virus, out of them,  four are women. The two patients were natives of the Anayra while, other infected people hail from East Fort, Kunnukuzhi, and Pattom in the district. All the samples were tested at the National Virology Institute in Alappuzha.

 

“Four samples were sent from a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, while one was collected by the Health Department as part of surveillance. With this, the total number of infections in the state rose to 28,” the minister said.

 

 

 

Following the new cases, George has also called an emergency meeting of officials on Thursday afternoon to discuss the matter.

Yesterday, Kerala Health Department has identified a cluster of the deadly Zika virus within a 3 km radius of Anayara where the presence of Aedes mosquitoes has been detected in stagnant water bodies. Following which govt has started taking all the measures in order to prevent further spread.

 

 

Kerala govt has also set up a control room at the district medical office in Thiruvananthapuram. The Union health ministry has also rushed a team of experts to contain the new emerging outbreak in the state.

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