Zika Virus Cases in Rajasthan Rise to 100, Centre Sends Special Team to Jaipur
According to details by the health ministry, of the total affected people, 23 are pregnant women, adding that the 20 new Zika cases today were from Jaipur and two neighbouring districts.
Jaipur, October 17: Twenty new Zika Virus cases tested positive in Jaipur on Wednesday, taking the total toll of infected people to 100. As the number of people infected by the Zika Virus spiked to a new high, the Centre rushed an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) team to the state to intensify vector control measures. According to details by the health ministry, of the total affected people, 23 are pregnant women, adding that the 20 new Zika cases today were from Jaipur and two neighbouring districts.
“A team of experts from ICMR has reached Jaipur to change the insecticides which are being used in the city to kill mosquitoes that spread Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses as a part of the integrated mosquito management programme,” the official said. Zika Virus Outbreak India 2018: The Preventive Measures You Can Take to Keep the Vector-Borne Disease at Bay.
Amid the rising concerns, Rajasthan additional chief secretary, medical and health, Veenu Gupta chaired a review meeting in Jaipur and released updated figures of the infected cases. Zika virus has been found in some mosquitoes taken as samples from Sindhi Camp and densely populated Shastri Nagar. Most of the Zika cases reported were from Shastri Nagar area. Zika Virus Outbreak in Rajasthan: 276 Teams Deployed in Affected Wards.
Fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out at these places. Officials inform that more than 1 lakh households have been surveyed in Shastri Nagar and neighbouring areas and 330 teams have been engaged to destroy mosquito larvae found during the survey. Zika Virus Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of The Mosquito-Borne Infection.
The Zika virus is transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito and causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. It is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children. A state health department official informed that almost all Zika virus-infected patients are healthy after treatment. Three-fourth patients do not have symptoms of the disease and have recovered.
Earlier this month, Health Minister J P Nadda had chaired a high-level meeting to review the activities for prevention and control of Zika virus and stressed the need to undertake exhaustive control measures, including fogging, while strengthening surveillance to facilitate early detection of cases.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2018 09:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).