Two Zika virus cases found in UP's Lucknow

Zika virus has moved beyond Kanpur and two cases of the virus have been found in Uttar Pradesh's state capital Lucknow.

Ved Vrat Singh, Director General, Medical and Health in the Uttar Pradesh government, said one positive Zika virus case each was detected in Lucknow's Hussainganj and LDA Colony areas.

The two cases in Lucknow come against the backdrop of rising Zika virus cases in Kanpur district that has reported 105 cases so far. One case was reported from Kannauj district and Lucknow is the third district in Uttar Pradesh to have a Zika footprint.

The samples of Zika virus patients in Lucknow were tested at King George's Medical University here and the reports came in on Thursday evening.

"Both the patients (in Lucknow) are stable and have no symptoms. We have taken samples of close contacts and got fogging and anti-larva spray done in the vicinity of their homes. More sampling will be done," said K.P. Tripathi, the official in-charge of vector-borne disease control in Lucknow.

One of the patients is a 30-year-old man residing in the Hussainganj area of Lucknow. The other is a 24-year-old woman from the Krishna Nagar area on Kanpur Road in the state capital.

"We have isolated both the patients and also asked their family members to remain at home. The neighbours in a 50-metre area have been educated about preventive measures against the Zika virus. On Friday, we will further check people in a 100-metre area and fogging will be repeated during the night," Tripathi added.

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister, Jai Pratap Singh said rapid action has been taken to stop the spread of the Zika virus, adding that the major reason behind its spread has been the first case found in the Kanpur Chakeri Airbase camp. The people who came in contact with the affected individuals have been also been tested positive for the virus. Now, through surveillance, identification has been done by testing the vulnerable groups.

A vector-borne disease caused by a virus transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, symptoms of Zika virus include mild fever, rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache.

According to the World Health Organisation, Aedes mosquitoes bite mostly during the day. This is the same mosquito that spreads dengue and chikungunya. Zika virus infection is not a serious problem among most people, but it can be extremely dangerous for pregnant women, and especially for the newborn child.

Earlier, cases of Zika virus were detected in Kerala and Maharashtra.