Kanpur health officials are on an alert mode as two carriers of Zika virus, namely Aedes and Armigeres, were found in the Uttar Pradesh city. The two mosquitoes capable of spreading the life-threatening infection were found at four locations in Kanpur.

The district malaria officer confirmed that Armigeres was found for the first time in Kanpur, which, till now, had only seen the creeping up of Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex carriers. Fresh sampling will be carried out after this discovery. The aim will be to eradicate the said breed, Dr AK Singh stated.

The two mosquitoes were found when officials sent 358 live samples to National Malaria Research Institute. To contain the breeding of these new carriers of Zika, a blueprint has been prepared by the district malaria department as a control measure.

Last year, about 344 cases of the virus were registered in an outbreak in Kanpur. The first case of Zika virus in the city was reported in October 2021.