After Kanpur, Panic in Lucknow as 2 Test Positive for Zika Virus

After ten people, including three Indian Air Force personnel, tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur, UP’s capital city Lucknow reported 2 fresh cases of the infection. On Saturday, 13 people had tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur. One case was also reported from neighbouring Kannauj district.

Dr Ved Vrat Singh, Director General Medical & Health, Uttar Pradesh government, confirmed to News18 that two cases of zika virus have indeed been reported in Lucknow.

With this, Lucknow became the third district in UP to report Zika cases. After the reports came positive, the health department carried out contact tracing and a primary containment exercise.

Health teams had collected blood samples of 525 people from Kanpur on Thursday, Friday and Saturday which were sent to the virology lab of the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow and the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing.

“Of these, 23 samples tested positive for Zika virus,” the district magistrate added. Ayyar also said that health teams have collected samples of 525 people who were in close contact with the infected people and living in the radius of 3 km of the IAF station hangars for testing.

The first case of the virus was reported in the city on October 23 when a warrant officer of the IAF tested positive for the infection.

So far, a total of 3,283 samples have been collected from the city and sent to the virology lab of KGMU in Lucknow and NIV in Pune for testing. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and hence, getting rid of mosquitoes is the safe way out, the district magistrate 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,” Ayyar said. A high alert has been sounded in the periphery of hangars of the IAF station, another official said.

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