Ten more people have been tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur on Sunday, taking the total number of those infected in the district to 89. Of those recently infected with the virus, three are Air Force personnel, two are women and men each, officials said.
As of Friday, the total infections of Zika virus in the district was 66, which included 9 IAF personnel, 45 men and 21 women, according to officials.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth on Saturday chaired a crucial meeting in view of the rising cases of the Zika virus and instructed officials to speed up sanitisation work. Earlier, CM Yogi had directed the health department to ensure strict surveillance and to undertake frequent and extensive door-to-door sanitisation and fogging drives to prevent mosquito breeding.
The first case in Kanpur was reported on October 23 when an Indian Air Force (IAF) warrant officer tested positive for Zika virus. “Thirty more people have tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur,” District Magistrate Vishak G Ayyar said.
Samples were collected from various pockets in the neighbouring areas of IAF station hangars and sent to the lab at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow for testing. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and hence, getting rid of mosquitoes is the safe way out, he said.
To check the spread of the disease, health teams are undertaking sanitisation programmes including anti-larvae spraying and identifying fever patients, screening seriously ill people and pregnant women. Health officials have been asked to step up surveillance and ensure door-to-door sampling and testing for Zika virus.
“We advise the local people not to panic regarding the sudden spurt in Zika virus cases,” district magistrate Vishak G Ayyar had said. A high alert has been sounded in the periphery of hangars of the IAF station, another official said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Saturday said the city government was alert and watchful of the developments in Kanpur which reported several cases of Zika virus in the last two weeks.
Maharashtra had reported its first case of Zika virus in August. Earlier, only Kerala had reported cases of Zika virus infection this year.
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