Zika Virus Alert Issued in Bihar as Siwan Youth Studying in Jaipur Tests Positive
The victim, identified as Pankaj Chourasia, had visited his hometown Siwan between August 28 to September 12 to appear for an examination.
New Delhi, October 7: Based on the inputs received from surveillance department of the Union Health Ministry, the Bihar government has issued a zika virus alert across the 38 districts of the state.
The decision was taken after a 22-year-old youth from Siwan, studying in Rajasthan's Jaipur, tested positive for the vector-borne disease, said a senior official of the Bihar health department. Zika Virus Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of The Mosquito-Borne Infection.
The victim, identified as Pankaj Chourasia, had visited his hometown Siwan between August 28 to September 12 to appear for an examination.
A senior official from the State Health Ministry, while speaking to reporters, claimed that the virus was contracted by Chourasia in Rajasthan, not in Siwan.
The district officials of Siwan have undertaken a survey to find if there are any zika virus victims in the region. So far, no one has tested positive. The 8-member family of Chourasia has been kept under observation for 26 days, despite none of them being tested positive.
Notably, one member of the family is pregnant, which has compelled the authorities to take extra-precaution. As seen in zika cases earlier, the virus gets passed on from an infected mother to the foetus, resulting in the child being born with physical and mental disabilities.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2018 11:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).