30 more people have been found positive with Zika virus in Kanpur.
Thirty more people have tested positive for Zika virus in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, taking the total number of infected people in the district to 66, a senior official said on Friday.
According to officials, among the infected people are 45 men and 21 women.
The first case in Kanpur was reported on October 23 when a warrant officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) tested positive for Zika virus.
“Thirty more people have tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur,” District Magistrate (DM) Vishak G Iyer said.
Samples were collected from various pockets in the neighboring areas of the IAF station hangar and sent to the laboratory of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow for testing. Thirty of them came back positive for Zika virus, he said.
He said that Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and therefore the only safe way is to get rid of mosquitoes.
To contain the spread of the disease, health teams are carrying out sanitisation programs including anti-larval spraying and identification of fever patients, screening of critically ill people and pregnant women.
Health officials have been asked to increase surveillance and ensure door-to-door sampling and testing for Zika virus.
“We do not advise locals to panic due to the sudden spike in Zika virus cases,” Iyer said.
Another official said a high alert has been sounded in the periphery of the hangar of the IAF station.
To contain the spread of Zika virus, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the health department to conduct frequent and extensive door-to-door sanitisation and fogging campaigns to ensure strict surveillance and prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
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