A cluster of Zika virus has been identified within a three km radius of Anayara in Thiruvananthapuram and steps are being taken for extermination of mosquitoes in the area to prevent its spread to other places, Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday. The minister, in a release, also said that a control room has been set up at the district medical office in the wake of the Zika outbreak in the capital city, where all the 23 cases of the virus were reported from. The decision to set up the control room and carry out mosquito extermination activities, like fogging in the affected area, were taken at a special review meeting convened on Wednesday by the minister in the wake of the outbreak, the release said. Counselling was also being carried out to create awareness among the people with regard to exercising caution against the Zika virus and not to panic, she added.
Veena George said that the state should be vigilant against the Zika virus and preventive operations have been intensified in other parts of Thiruvananthapuram. Besides fogging, emphasis will be placed on the destruction of the source of mosquitoes, she said and added that breeding of mosquitoes should not be allowed in the vicinity of houses and institutions. "Do not let even a drop of water stagnate. Special care should be taken to prevent mosquitoes from breeding inside the house," the minister said and added that besides Zika, steps should be taken to prevent spread of dengue, another vector-borne disease.
It was on July 8 that the first Zika virus was reported in Kerala, in a 24-year-old pregnant woman. According to the World Health Organisation, the infection is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. If a Zika virus infection occurs during pregnancy, it can lead to severe complications including miscarriage and congenital malformations in infants. Though the general symptoms of the disease include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache, many infected people do not develop symptoms.
(With PTI inputs)