Zika virus case confirmed in Kerala; 19 samples sent to NIV, 13 suspected to be positive

With the country still reeling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerala Health Minister Veena George has confirmed that the Zika virus infection has struck the state. As many as 19 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing of the virus. Out of the 19 samples sent, 13 are said to have returned positive. 

A 24-year-old pregnant woman from Parassala is suspected to have been diagnosed with the Zika virus infection in Kerala first. The woman had experienced fever, headache and red marks on her skin following which she had sought medical treatment. The woman's condition is said to be stable and she gave birth on June 7. All the 13 suspected cases belong to Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile, districts across Kerala have been alerted. 

What is Zika virus? How does it spread? 

Zika virus is generally spread through infected mosquitoes and is also a sexually transmitted disease. These Aedes species mosquitoes bite during the day and night as well. Zika virus can spread from a pregnant woman to her baby. It can also result in Guillain–Barré syndrome. The disease caused by the Zika virus often causes no or only mild symptoms which are similar to a mild form of dengue fever. There is no specific treatment, neither has there been an approved vaccine to prevent the virus spread. 

COVID situation in Kerala

Kerala on Wednesday recorded 15,600 fresh COVID-19cases, pushing the infection caseload to 30,11,694, while 148 fatalities took the toll to 14,108. As many as 11,629 people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 28,89,186 and the number of active cases in the state to 1,07,925, a state government release said.

Malappuram topped in the number of cases (2052), followed by Ernakulam (1,727), Thrissur (1,724), Kozhikode (1,683), Kollam (1,501), Palakkad (1,180) and Thiruvananthapuram (1,150). Of the new cases, 74 are health workers, 66 had come from outside the state and 14,761 were infected through contact with the source of contact being not clear in 699cases, the release said. In the last 24 hours, 1,50,630 samples were tested and the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) was found to be 10.36 per cent.