Zika Virus Kerala cases increased to 28 recently, amidst confusion on identifying the virus. Five new cases, in which four were women, tested positive for the virus recently.
Health Minister Veena George announced on July 15 that of the fresh cases, two were natives of Anayara here, where a cluster of the disease had been identified within a three-kilometre radius,
Other infected people hailed from East Fort, Kunnukuzhi and Pattom. All the samples were tested at the National Virology Institute at Alappuzha.
Meanwhile, the other 16 samples tested negative, according to a report.
Reported to be communicated by mosquitoes, steps were being taken for the extermination of mosquitoes in the area to prevent its spread to other places, identified within a three kilometres radius of Anayara, the Health Department said yesterday.
In the wake of the Zika outbreak in the capital city, a control room has been set up at the district medical office where all the previous 23 cases were reported, they added.
Amidst the rise in the number of cases, doctors in Thiruvananthapuram stated that the mild cases of the virus might have been present in the state since April as patients were not getting tested due to rising COVID-19 cases and lockdown restrictions at that time.
Senior consultant at the KIMSHEALTH hospital told ANI that many people complained of Zika symptoms like fever, rashes and red eyes.
"I would say that it peaked around May, right after the monsoon season. But since the coronavirus was also peaking at the time, we were conducting teleconsultations and they did not come to the OPD," a doctor said.
"I presume many people had mild cases and did not come to the hospital," they added.
According to the doctor who diagnosed the initial patients who tested positive for Zika, the virus management and treatment is simple and easy. However, in pregnant women, it can cause malformation in the foetus, according to a report by Livemint.
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