23 fall prey to Zika in one day in Madhya Pradesh

Twenty-three new cases of Zika virus were confirmed by MP health department here on Thursday. The infection caused by aedes mosquito has now spread to one more district in the state. Sagar, about 170-km from Bhopal, has reported a Zika-positive case. Thirteen new-cases are from Vidhisha, 8 from Sehore and one from Bhopal and one from Sagar district.
So far, about 160 people have been tested for Zika infection in Madhya Pradesh, since the first case was confirmed on November 1, said health department sources.On record, the health department is still terming the increase in number of cases as a ‘localized’ outbreak, said a health department official. Overall, 32 have been diagnosed with Zika virus in Madhya Pradesh. Fourteen cases are from Vidhisha, five from Bhopal, 11 from Sehore and 1 from Sagar.
So far, reports of 120 suspected cases have been received from AIIMS Bhopal viral research and diagnostic laboratory (VRDL). About 40 test reports are pending. For a week now, a team sent by the union government comprising representatives from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Emergency Medical Response (EMR) has been monitoring state government-lead Zika containment operation.
A top health department official who visited Vidhisha and Sehore districts said: “There was a clear presence of outbreak of febrile illness with rash in the population. Sampling was targeted, so the number of positive cases would be high.”
Experts are comparing the outbreak of Zika in MP to Rajasthan, where containment measures were put in place after the ‘outbreak’. “Containment measures across the affected districts are being monitored,” the official added, indicating that it took more than a month to control Zika spread in Rajasthan.
Sironj & Gopalpur worst affected villages
Twenty-five cases of Zika have been reported from Gopalpur village in Sehore and Sironj in Vidisha, according to the health department. Cases are of people who came in contact with a Zika-infected person. However, Zika is not an infection that is spread, but is transmitted by mosquitoes.
“Our strategy is to survey the contacts. The actual infection, sample testing and result takes about a week. We are expecting the local infection would have been caused during this period. Anti-vector activities are being carried out. We would consider this an outbreak, if the cases continue to rise in coming days,” said a health department official.
Meanwhile, the health department has denied reports of a suspected case of death due to Zika.
A 22-year-old boy admitted in a private hospital in Kolar area, was suffering from Dengue, Zika and JElike symptoms. He was on ventilator support, when he was suspected for Zika. It is the first-ever case of co-infection of such kind. Both JE and Zika affect the neurological system. The test has not been confirmed by NIV, Pune.