Guwahati: Assam has relied aware of the possibility of Zika’s virus outbreak in the state after Kanpur at Uttar Pradesh reported an explosion in the case.
The State Health Department will direct all district health authorities to test samples suspected of being infected by Zika who has arrived from the area where fresh infections have set alarm bells in this country.
State Program Officer (SPO) from the National Vector Disease Control Program (NVBDCP), Assam, Harpal Singh Suri, on Sunday told TII that it had directed the district to report alleged cases of Zika infection which had a two-week trip history from Kerala and Pune .
The source of the State Health Department said the committee to monitor Zika’s infection was formed in Assam.
“We will issue a new direction to test people for the possibility of infection from Zika’s affected areas wherever the new cases are detected,” Suri said.
Hospitals and medical college laboratories have also been instructed to investigate blood samples to identify infections.
Health officials said in Assam No Zika case had been detected until now.
However, a surge in delay in the Covid case compared to Central India last year has become a lesson for the Northeast and the country being vigilant.
“We must be vigilant to check the zika outbreak anywhere in the region,” Suri said.
He said fever, skin rash, muscle aches, sickness in the joints, eye infections and headaches were one of the general symptoms of Zika’s infection.
“If the child is born with microsephali or brain defects such as small heads, mothers and children need to be tested,” Suri said.
He noted that Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder, can be associated with Zika.
“The recent melitical case with paralysis is another symptom of Zika’s infection,” he added.
Health officials raised fears that Aedes mosquitoes, which caused bloody fever, also the carrier of the virus.
“If Aedes mosquitoes bite Zika’s infected person, it can bring infection to others,” Suri said.
The increase in bloody fever cases in Assam, compared to last year, has also increased the threat of Zika’s infection in cities such as Guwahati.
While the country reported about 30 cases last year, this year has doubled to around 63.
“To get help from Zika, most importantly should be given to cleanliness at home and the environment,” he added.
However, health officials added that a significant decline in dengue cases for years at Assam was relieved.
In 2019, Assam reported 196 cases, while in the past, 2,000 to 6,000 cases were detected.
“Eradication of dengue fever will help in fighting Zika,” Suri said.
The Director of the National Health Mission Assam Lakshman was observed that Zika was relatively a new virus in this part of the world.
“We must see if Zika can have a large-scale public health impact,” he said.
He added that early detection and symptomatic treatment were the only ways available in the state to treat patients infected with Zika.