Zika triggers concern in Kerala as the state reports another case of Zika virus
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Thiruvananthapuram, July 13: At the time when the state is already battling with the COVID-19, the newly emerging Zika virus has now become the new headache of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government. The number of Zika virus cases in Kerala rose to 19 on Monday evening, after another person tested positive for the Zika virus in Kerala.
According to the state health Ministry, the new outbreak has triggered concern in authorities and people there as well as neighboring states.“A 73-year old woman, who was being treated at a private hospital in the capital Thiruvananthapuram, was diagnosed with the virus,” state Health Minister Veena George said.
Looking at the current situation George said the state government has arranged testing facilities at the Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kozhikode medical colleges and also at the National Institute of Virology unit in Alappuzha.
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“The Thiruvananthapuram medical college received 500 Triplex kits, which enable the simultaneous detection and differentiation of RNA from dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus; and 500 Singleplex kits which can detect Zika virus alone,” the minister said in the release.
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The state government said it has received 2,100 test kits from the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Out of these, 1,000 have been given to Thiruvananthapuram, 300 each to Thrissur and Kozhikode, and 500 to the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha.
It should be noted that the Union Health Ministry has already deployed a six-member team to the southern state to monitor the situation.
The Zika virus is transmitted primarily by the Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day, as per the World Health Organization. The same species is also responsible for causing diseases such as Chikungunya, Dengue fever, and Yellow Fever.
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In India, the first local outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 2017. Larger outbreaks took place in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Both the states reported over 100 cases.
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