Karnataka on Full Alert Following its First Zika Case

BENGALURU: Medical teams across the state of Karnataka have been put on alert following the detection of the Zika Virus in a child in the state.

The health minister of Karnataka, K Sudhakar announced that a five-year-old residing in the Raichur district of the state was the first confirmed case of Zika in the South Indian state. He also mentioned that the health department of the state, as well as the state administration, has taken all necessary steps to prevent possible spread. He also added that there is no need for the public to panic or worry and that the state government will soon issue a set of guidelines for the protection of the public.

"We have got a lab report from Pune about the confirmed case of Zika virus. On December 5, it was processed and reported on December 8. Three specimens were sent out of which two were negative and one was positive, which is a five-year-old girl. We are keeping a vigil," stated the minster.

"This is the first confirmed case in Karnataka. It came to light when the serum was subjected to Dengue and Chikungunya tests. Usually, 10 per cent of such samples are sent to Pune for test, out of which this has come across as positive," he added.

Special surveillance (Health department) officials in Raichur and neighbouring districts have been told to send the samples for the Zika virus test in case of any suspected infection cases.

Notably, the Zika virus is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is also known to transmit other viruses including Dengue and Chikungunya. First identified in the African country of Uganda, it was previously detected in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in India. And this is the first time someone from Karnataka has contracted this disease without any travel history.

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