Guwahati: A five-year-old child tested positive for the Zika virus in Karnataka, which thereafter announced its first confirmed case of the disease. While verifying the news the state’s minister of health stated that there is no cause for alarm or anxiety because the administration is taking all required precautions and will also be releasing a set of instructions.
In response to a question on the Zika virus case in Raichur Health Minister K Sudhakar said, “We have got a lab report from Pune about the confirmed case of Zika virus. On December 5, it was processed and reported on December 8. Three specimens were sent out of which two were negative and one was positive, which is a five-year-old-girl. We are keeping a vigil.”
Speaking to reporters, he mentioned that Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh had recently seen cases of the Zika virus.
“This is the first confirmed case in Karnataka. It came to light when the serum was subjected to Dengue and Chikungunya test. Usually 10 per cent of such samples are sent to Pune for test, out of which this has come across as positive,” he added.
The minister stated that the government is exercising caution and that officials from the health department in charge of surveillance in Raichur and the surrounding districts have received the necessary instructions to send samples for a Zika virus test in the event that any suspected infection cases are discovered in any hospitals.
He said that the girl had no prior travel history.
Through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito which is also known to spread diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya the Zika virus disease is spread. The virus was originally discovered in Uganda,1947.