Kanpur reported one more case of Zika virus on Monday, taking the total tally up to 11. The patient is a 42-year-old woman from Shiv Katra. Her samples, which had been sent to the King George Medical University in Lucknow, and the National Institute of Virology in Pune, came back positive.
Surveillance and precautionary measures in place
The sample of the woman, who is asymptomatic and under observation, was taken by the surveillance teams. Samples of her family members, relatives and people in contact will be taken today. Anti-Larva Spray, fogging, and cleaning will also be undertaken in the area.
A house-to-house survey was also conducted by 65 surveillance teams, consisting of health, civic and para-medical personnel as well as staff of the local administration in the affected areas. The teams collected samples from 12 localities in a 3 km radius of the Chakeri area, where the first case was found. 1,745 samples were collected in total, and the teams also sensitised the residents about the dangers of stagnant and open water.
Zika virus does not spread through close contact or aerosols. It primarily only spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries Dengue and Chikungunya. Hence, maintaining proper hygiene in your environment and using mosquito repellants can easily stop the spread of the virus.
