Cases of zika virus in Kerala reached 21

NEW DELHI: JULY 13 – Two more cases of Zika virus have been detected Tuesday in the southern Indian state of Kerala, taking the case tally to 21, officials said.

According to the local health department officials, both the cases are from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

“Two more people in the state have been diagnosed with the Zika virus,” a local news agency quoted Kerala health minister Veena George as having said. “A 35-year-old resident of Poonthura and a 41-year-old resident of Sasthamangalam. With this, 21 Zika virus cases are confirmed in the state.”

Last week 14 cases were detected in the state.

The first case was a 24-year-old pregnant woman. Later on, 13 people, mostly healthcare workers, were found infected.

Since then cases keep on increasing though at a slower pace.

Following the detection of Zika virus cases, the local government sounded an alert across Kerala.

George on Sunday said hospitals in the state have been instructed to test patients, especially pregnant women, with fever, rashes, and body pain.

“We have intensified the vector control activities and given a message to district medical officers and collectors,” George said last week. “We have also prepared the action plan to manage the infection.”

Zika virus is mostly spread by mosquitoes. It can also be sexually transmitted.

The mosquito-borne virus has been linked to shrunken brains in children and a rare auto-immune disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

India reported a Zika outbreak in the western state of Gujarat in 2016-17.

The current outbreak has been reported at a time when the state is battling the ongoing second wave of COVID-19.

-XINHUA