Zika Outbreak: 29 people test positive in Rajasthan

The state's Health Department has said that twenty-nine people from Rajasthan have tested positive for Zika virus. This is the biggest Zika outbreak in the history of India.

On Tuesday, senior officials of the state's Health Department has said that twenty-nine people from Rajasthan have tested positive for Zika virus. This is the biggest Zika outbreak in the history of India. According to the officials, on September 23 the first case of Zika Virus was reported, following which tests by the authorities established traces of the virus in the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on September 26.

According to the Indian Express report, Veenu Gupta, additional chief secretary, Medical & Health and Family Welfare Department, Rajasthan reportedly said that twenty-nine people have tested positive so far for Zika virus and all the cases are from Jaipur's Shastri Nagar area. Around 450 samples have been sent for testing of which 160 are of pregnant ladies. She also said that among the 29 people tested positive, three are women, who were expecting children, and on Monday one gave birth.

Around 150-200 teams along with administrative officials are searching for more people who might be affected.

Doctor P Ravindran, who is director of Emergency Medical Relief under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reportedly said the present outbreak of Zika in Rajasthan was the biggest in the history of India till now, surpassing the past two instances in Ahmedabad and Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.

Until now more than 26,000 homes have been surveyed by officials with the help of teams from the health department along with 29,000 breeding places for the mosquito that carries this virus. They have dedicated all their machinery to contain the disease. Five laboratories have been set up in the state in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jhalawar, and Kota for testing of samples.