29 test positive for Zika virus; Rajasthan on high alert

Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Veenu Gupta (ANI Photo)

JAIPUR: Twenty-nine people have tested positive for Zika virus disease, confirmed the state Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Veenu Gupta Tuesday.

“There are a total of 29 positive cases so far,” said Gupta.

“Fifty to 200 teams are conducting a combing operation. 26,000 houses have been surveyed. All cases of fever have been listed. If there is a need to collect samples, we're collecting that on a large scale,” she added.

Several Health Department teams conducted household surveys in Shastri Nagar area, where fogging was done besides taking up other measures for the vector control, added Gupta.

The officer said blood samples of 450 people, including 168 pregnant women were taken for examining the presence of Zika virus and 29 of them were tested positive.
She also said the Centre's Vector Borne Disease Control Programme team was presently in Jaipur to monitor the situation. 

Following the reports Zika virus outbreak in Rajasthan's Jaipur, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has sought a comprehensive report on the matter from the Health Ministry.

Health minister JP Nadda, however, assured that there's no need to panic and the situation is under control.

With agency inputs