Zika virus alert for Bihar after Siwan youth in Jaipur tests positive
Bihar, Oct 07: The Centre on Sunday sounded an alert to Bihar after a youth from Siwan, studying in Jaipur, tested positive for Zika virus.
The youth, Pankaj Chourasia, 22, a student of computer science in Jaipur, tested positive for the virus recently. He was in Siwan between August 28 and September 12 to appear for an examination.
“The central surveillance unit of the ministry of health and family welfare (MoH&FW) notified us today about the Zika-positive patient who had visited Bihar,” said state epidemiologist Dr Ragini Mishra of the State Health Society, Bihar.
Based on the Centre’s alert, the Bihar health department immediately dispatched a team to Siwan on Sunday to undertake surveillance of all the eight family members of Chourasia residing at Hariarpur village under Lalgarh health sub-centre, which is attached to the Barhariya primary health centre in Siwan, she said.
“None of Chourasia’s family members showed symptoms of Zika virus. However, we are careful as one of the family members is pregnant. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her foetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects. They will be kept under surveillance for the next 26 days, which is double the 13-day incubation period for the Zika virus,” Dr Mishra said.
She said it was unlikely that Chourasia would have contracted the virus in Bihar.
“Zika virus has a 13-day incubation period. The youth left Bihar on September 12. So it is unlikely that he would have contracted the virus in Bihar. Our only worry is that Siwan is affected by dengue, caused by the Ades Aegypti mosquito, which also spreads Zika. So, we want to be cautious and guard against underreporting of Zika,” Dr Mishra said.
Not wanting to take any chances, Bihar has sounded an alert and issued an advisory to all its 38 districts.
“We have asked all our districts to report cases of fever and microcephaly (abnormal smallness of the head, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development, usually transmitted from a pregnant woman to her foetus). They have been told to send all such samples to the viral research and diagnostic laboratories for confirmatory tests of rare virus strains like Zika,” the health official said.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Theives attempt to steal parked bus, end up crashing it
Bengaluru: A major accident was averted on late Saturday night in Anekal, a suburb of Bengaluru, after a group of men allegedly attempted to steal a parked bus, causing damage to the front portion of the vehicle.
According to the police, the bus had been parked along Thali Road in Anekal after the driver left the spot.
ALSO READ: Chamrajnagar: Woman arrested for selling ganja atop Male Mahadeshwara Hills
Taking advantage of the situation, four allegedly intoxicated men tried to steal the bus by tampering with its wiring. However, they lost control of the vehicle, which rammed into two electric poles.
Alert residents intervened, stopped the bus, and apprehended one of the accused, who was later handed over to the police. The remaining three suspects managed to flee the scene.
Anekal police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
