Amidst Coronavirus pandemic, Zika Threat looms of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: While the country is still under the COVID crisis, the Zika virus has resurfaced. Kerala is reported to have identified over 14 cases of the Zika virus.

According to a recent report by Indian Express, Kerala state on Thursday reported 14 cases of mosquito-borne Zika virus for the first time. All samples tested positive for the Zika virus were collected from the Thiruvananthapuram district and sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The samples were collected for testing after a 24-year-old pregnant woman sought treatment late last month with symptoms like fever, headache, and red marks on the skin.

State Health Minister Veena George told PTI that the government was awaiting confirmation from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune. Of the 19 samples sent from Thiruvananthapuram, 13 health workers, including doctors, are suspected to be positive for Zika, the minister said.

The woman, hailing from Parassalain Thiruvananthapuram district, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, delivered her baby on July 7. She had been admitted to the hospital on June 28 with fever, headache and red marks on her body. The tests conducted at the hospital confirmed that she was positive following which her samples were sent to NIV, Pune. The condition of the woman was satisfactory. Though she does not have any travel history outside the state, her house is on the Tamil Nadu border. A week ago, her mother had also shown similar symptoms, a government release added.