Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Sunday (November 5) said that measures have been intensified to prevent the spread of Zika virus, eight cases of which have been confirmed in the state’s northern Kannur district, and that there was no need for any worry. Advising people to be cautious, State Health Minister Veena George said the virus was spread by the Aedes mosquitoes and was usually harmless. However, it affects pregnant women and can cause birth defects such as microcephaly in the foetus, the minister said in a release issued by the Health Department.
The department advised that children and the elderly should be especially careful not to get bitten by mosquitoes.
The Zika virus infections were reported from the Thalassery District Court in Kannur, it said.
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Following that, the district administration intensified preventive steps by monitoring pregnant women in the area and issuing alerts and guidelines to all health institutions, including private hospitals, the release said.
The first infection was reported on October 30 and after that a medical camp was organised in the area on November 1 during which 24 samples were collected and sent for testing, it said.
Subsequently, to destroy the source of the Zika virus carrying mosquitoes, fogging and spraying as well as a larval survey were carried out, it said.
Additionally, aedes larvae and mosquitoes were collected and sent to the state’s Department of Entomology, the release said.
Besides these measures, 104 houses near the court were visited by health workers, it said.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
