In Kerala, 10 cases of Zika virus infections had been reported, out of 13 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune, 10 samples came back positive.
13 Zika Virus cases were confirmed in the state by the Kerala Health Department on Thursday, which is the first time that the Zika virus cases were reported in the state.
Veena George, Kerala Health Minister, said that they had doubts about the 13 positive cases in the 19 samples that they had sent to the National Institute of Virology.
According to Matrubhumi, all the cases were from Thiruvananthpuram.
In accordance with WHO, the Zika virus was a mosquito-borne flavivirus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys and was later identified in humans in the year 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The outbreaks of Zika virus disease had been recorded in Africa, Asia, America, and the Pacific as well. The virus had been said to be transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is the cause of the spread of dengue.
However, a majority of people infected with the Zika virus did not develop symptoms but a few of them exhibited medical conditions like rash, fever, muscle and joint pain, conjunctivitis, malaise, and headaches. These symptoms usually last for 2-7 days.
