The Union health ministry has already sent a six-member team to Kerala to monitor the Zika virus situation, joint secretary of the ministry Lav Agarwal said on Friday. The outbreak comes as the state is grappling with Covid-19 cases, the number of which is steady in the state, while in the rest of the country, the situation is rapidly improving. The team comprises health experts and vector-borne disease experts. The situation is under constant monitoring of the central government, Agarwal said.
The Union health ministry on Friday said a six-member central team of experts has been dispatched to Kerala to monitor the Zika virus situation and support the state government in management of cases. The southern state, which is already grappling with Covid-19 cases, has so far reported 14 cases of Zika virus. It has been put on alert.
“There are some Zika cases which have been reported from Kerala. To monitor the situation and to support the state government, a six-member team comprising public health experts, vector-borne disease experts and clinicians from AIIMS has already been issued instructions to reach there and support the state government in terms of management of Zika there,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry.
A 24-year-old pregnant woman was the first to have been diagnosed with the mosquito-transmitted disease on Thursday. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed 13 more cases on Friday, according to the state government. The symptoms of Zika are similar to dengue and they include fever, rashes and joint pain.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has said that an action plan has been drawn up to control the spread of Zika.
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