Even as the Covid pandemic continues to rage in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George on Thursday said Zika virus cases have been detected in the state.
As of now, the state has recorded 10 cases of Zika Virus infections of which a new mother is also infected. A total of 19 samples from Thiruvananthapuram were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune of which 10 came out to be positive.
"This is the first time that Zika virus has been reported in Kerala... a 24-year-old pregnant woman reported at a hospital in the state capital district with fever, headache, and rashes last month. The first results showed a mild positive sign of Zika virus and later from 19 samples tested, 13 also showed Zika positive. All the samples have now been sent to NIV Pune," she said.
The woman, who is a Thiruvanathapuram native, is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. She was admitted to the hospital on June 28 and has delivered a baby on July 7, however, now her condition is said to be stable.
Notably, a week ago, her mother had also shown similar symptoms including fever, joint pain, and skin rashes.
"The Health Department and the district authorities are seized of the issue and have taken measures by collecting samples of the Aedes species mosquitoes, which transmits it to people through its bite. All the districts have been alerted about this and measures have started," George added.
Amid the looming fear of the third wave, if Zika virus spread rapidly in Kerala, it could be a major setback to the state in its fight against contagious Covid-19 infection.
Also Read:After revamp, Cabinet announces Rs 23K crore package to fight Covid-19
In the last 10 days, the active caseload in Kerala has increased by almost 12,000.
What is Zika Virus? What are its symptoms?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Zika Virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first reported in Uganda way back in 1947 in monkeys.
Later the disease traveled to humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. So far, Zika infections have been reported in Africa, America, Asia, and the Pacific.
Significantly, a vast majority of people infected with Zika does not develop severe symptoms but some of them complain of fever, rashes, muscle and joint pain, conjunctivitis, malaise, and headache. These symptoms usually last from 2-7 days in an infected person’s body.
As per the medical reports, Zika Virus is highly transmissible but it does not carry any potential threat like coronavirus. The Zika infection is mainly spread through mosquito bites, especially the Aedes aegypti type that causes dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya.
Despite not having any serious health effect, the Zika virus can create complications for pregnant women as it can cause birth defects like microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities.