Karnataka govt writes to Health Ministry on Zika virus, says situation is well under control
Bengaluru, Nov 3: The Karnataka government on Friday wrote to the Union Health Ministry on the detection of Zika virus in mosquitoes in the state's Chikkaballapura district and stated that the situation is "well under control."
The state health department said in the letter that in view of Zika virus detected in Aedes mosquitoes in Talakayalabetta village in Chikkaballapura district, vector control measures have been intensified and actions taken.
"An area of 5 km diameter is notified as 'Containment Zone (CZ)' for surveillance purpose," the letter said.
The serum samples of pregnant women are submitted to National Institute of Virology, Bengaluru. Indoor space spray with Pyrethrum (2 per cent) is being done in the affected village. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) sessions are conducted in the villages of CZ," the state government said.
It also said there are five villages in the CZ and It has a primary healthcare centre. So far, 34 serum samples including that of fever cases have been submitted.
"The situation is closely monitored by state programme division and necessary technical support is provided. Further, an advisory regarding measures to be followed for Zika virus disease prevention by Healthcare workers and the general public is issued by the Health Commissioner. In total, the situation is well under control," it added.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Thursday officials of the Department have held a special meeting and chalked out a plan to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
"So far, the Zika virus has not been detected in humans. However, as a precautionary measure, the blood samples of those affected by the fever have been sent for further testing and the report will be received in three days," he had said.
He requested the public to not panic, as the Zika virus is not as deadly as the Nipah virus.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
