India
Most of the cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar area here where fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent the spread of the virus
Jaipur: The Centre has rushed an Indian Council of Medical Research team to Rajasthan after the number of people infected with Zika virus rose to 100. The team will be assessing the situation and intensify vector control measures.
"A team of experts from ICMR has reached Jaipur to change the insecticides which are being used in the city to kill mosquitoes that spread Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses as a part of the integrated mosquito management programme," said a health ministry official in Delhi, according to PTI.
The official also said that out of the affected people, 23 are pregnant women. On Wednesday, 20 new Zika cases confirmed from Jaipur and two neighbouring districts.
Most of the cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar area here where fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent the spread of the virus.
So far, door-to-door survey of 96,000 households has been conducted in Shastri Nagar and neighbouring localities. 68 challans, amounting to Rs 44,000 penalty, were issued after finding larvae in houses.
The state health department has also issued an advisory for pregnant women staying outside the affected area to not visit Shastri Nagar.
The virus, transmitted through aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. It is harmful to pregnant women as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is significantly smaller than expected.
In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district in July that year. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management.
The disease is under surveillance of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the World Health Organisation (WHO) notification since November 18, 2016.
With inputs from PTI
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