State Government in India’s Uttar Pradesh Ramps Up Surveillance As New Zika Virus Cases Surface

The healthcare system in India's Uttar Pradesh was in a state of emergency a couple of months ago when a mystery fever, later identified as dengue, killed hundreds of children. To control the situation as quickly as possible, the authorities had to take all possible preventive measures.

The state government in India's Uttar Pradesh on Monday said it has stepped up surveillance after 10 cases of Zika virus were confirmed in Kanpur district, roughly in the centre of the state.

According to an official release, the government has been conducting tests on an industrial scale since the first case of the Zika virus in the state was confirmed in October.

So far, a total of 645 samples have been sent to the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in the state's capital city, Lucknow. Of these, 253 were from patients who had displayed symptoms of the fever and 103 were from pregnant women.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that spreads through the bite of infected mosquitoes.

To counter the Zika virus, Uttar Pradesh's state chief Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that the health department must ensure strict surveillance to check the spread of the virus and undertake frequent and extensive door-to-door sanitisation and insecticide spraying to prevent mosquito breeding.

He also stressed the need for public awareness about preventive measures and encouraging people to keep themselves clean.

The state health department has been carrying out mass sanitisation, state-wide surveillance drives, spraying anti-larva chemicals and cleanliness drives, the statement stated.

Health workers have been paying door-to-door visits to identify patients with viral fever, vector-borne diseases and other symptoms.

Under the drive, so far more than 39,800 households have been visited and more than 161,535 people have been made aware of the required preventive measures.