Kerala studies first Zika virus case in pregnant lady, statewide alert declared

By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has been placed on alert after the primary incident of the Zika virus was present in a pregnant lady in Thiruvananthapuram. The National Institute of Virology in Pune confirmed the an infection on Thursday.

Thirteen samples out of 19 taken from totally different elements of the state are suspected to be Zika optimistic, although official affirmation is but to reach. The well being minister Veena George directed all district well being officers to be alert on the new-found an infection that spreads via mosquito bites.

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The first detected affected person is a 24-year-old lady from Parassala. She was admitted with signs akin to fever, headache and rashes on June 28. She was discovered mildly optimistic for the RT-PCR take a look at and her samples had been despatched to the NIV for confirming Zika.

An announcement from the well being division stated the affected person’s well being situation was passable and he or she had a standard supply on July 7. She didn’t have a journey historical past. But it was discovered that her home is close to the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Her mom additionally had related signs every week in the past.

The district surveillance workforce, district vector management unit and state epidemiology workforce visited the locality in Parassala and took measures to forestall the an infection. It included amassing samples of Aedes mosquitos, answerable for spreading dengue, chikungunya and Zika fever, and sending them for PCR assessments.