Five more people test positive for Zika virus in Kerala
Amid growing concerns of the Zika virus outbreak, five more people, including four women, have tested positive for the infection in Kerala, taking the caseload in the state to 28. Of the fresh cases, two were natives of Anayara in Thiruvananthapuram, where a cluster of the disease had been identified within a three-kilometer radius, Health Minister of Kerala Veena George said on Thursday.
All samples were tested at National Virology Institute in Alappuzha
"The other infected people were those hailing from East Fort, Kunnukuzhi, and Pattom areas in Thiruvananthapuram, and all the samples were tested at the National Virology Institute at Alappuzha," the minister said. "Four samples were sent from a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, while one was collected by the Health Department as part of surveillance," the minister said.
Twenty-three cases reported from Thiruvananthapuram
Meanwhile, 16 other samples tested negative. "With this, the total number of infections in the state rose to 28, out of which 23 belong to Thiruvananthapuram," the minister said. Notably, the Zika virus is caused by the bite of the Aedes species of mosquitoes.
Steps are being taken to prevent the spread of virus
The Health Department had said on Wednesday, that, steps like fogging in the affected area, are being taken for the extermination of mosquitoes in the area to prevent its spread to other places. They also said a control room had been set up at the district medical office in the wake of the Zika outbreak in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram.
State needs to be vigilant against Zika virus: Veena George
On Wednesday, Health Minister Veena George had said that the state needs to be vigilant against Zika virus infection. "Besides fogging, emphasis will be placed on the destruction of the source of mosquitoes," she added.
