22 persons test positive for Zika virus in Rajasthan; health ministry, PMO closely monitor situation

Twenty-two positive laboratory-confirmed cases of the Zika virus have been found in Rajasthan’s Jaipur.

A team from the health ministry has left for Rajasthan to closely monitor the situation. A control room had also been set up at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to keep a track of the situation.

The affected persons have been kept in isolation. After the first person was detected with the Zika virus on September 24, blood samples of several others had been sent for tests.

After it was found that one of the affected persons is a student of Bihar who had visited his home in Siwan in August where he stayed for sometime, the family members have now been put under close watch and the Bihar government issued advisory to all its districts to keep a track of the situation. In both states, massive drives have been undertaken to check the spread of the infection.

The Union health ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is monitoring the situation closely.

Zika virus is currently reported in 86 countries worldwide. Its symptoms are similar to other viral infections such as dengue, which include fever, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, headaches and so on.