Zika Alert In India: 66 Cases Detected In UP’s Kanpur, 90 People Infected In Kerala

Avoiding mosquito bites and reducing mosquito habitats are the key to preventing Zika virus infection.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, India has sounded an alert on Zika virus infection, especially in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Kerala where cases are on the rise.

In UP's Kanpur district, 30 more Zika cases were confirmed on Thursday, the highest single day count since the first case of the virus was reported in the city on October 23. Of these new patients, three were women and 27 men. Including these new cases, the total caseload in the district now stands at 66, which includes 45 males and 21 females.

Kanpur chief medical officer Dr Nepal Singh said that the samples were sent for testing three days ago to the National Institute for Virology Pune, which has confirmed the fresh cases. Tests were also conducted at the virology lab of the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow.

On October 23, the first Zika virus case was reported in Kanpur from the Indian Air Force station area when a warrant officer tested positive for the infection. Later, three more cases were detected from the IAF station area. Subsequently, more cases were reported from neighbouring localities in the cantonment area. The latest cases were discovered from new localities such as Bhavanipur and Koyla Nagar, which are beyond the three-km radius area marked as areas of special interest by the state health department.

The health department has already sounded an alert across districts and intensified surveillance to check the spread of the disease. A massive vector control campaign has also been launched in the city.

Zika cases detected in Kerala and Maharashtra too

In Kerala, a total of 90 Zika cases have been detected so far. The first ever Zika virus disease case was reported in the state on 8 July 2021 when a blood sample collected from a 24-year-old pregnant woman in Trivandrum district tested positive through RT-PCR testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune.

Maharashtra also reported its first Zika laboratory-confirmed case on 31 July 2021. A 50-year-old woman from Belsar, a village under Pune district, tested positive for both zika virus and chikungunya virus at NIV Pune.

All you need to know about Zika virus infection

Zika virus infection is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes species of mosquito named Aedes aegypti. But it can also be transmitted from mother to foetus during pregnancy, through sexual contact, transfusion of blood and blood products, and organ transplantation, according to the World Health Organisation.

Avoiding mosquito bites and reducing mosquito habitats are the key to preventing Zika virus infection. The Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, peaking during early morning and late afternoon or evening.

Most people infected with the Zika virus are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms like mild fever, rash and muscle pain. In rare cases, it can cause microcephaly, congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and Guillain-Barre syndrome.