Kerala's Zika virus case tally goes up to 18 as three more test positive
The three new cases include a 22-month-old toddler, a 46-year-old man and a 29-year-old health worker.
FollowKerala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday informed that three more people in the state, including a toddler, have tested positive for the Zika virus.
With this, the total number of Zika virus cases has now touched 18. The three new cases include a 22-month-old toddler, a 46-year-old man and a 29-year-old health worker.
George said that the state government had arranged testing facilities at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur Medical colleges and the National Institute of Virology unit at Alappuzha.Â
The health minister informed that the Thiruvananthapuram medical college had received 500 Triplex Kit, which enable simultaneous differentiation and detection of RNA from Zika, Chikungunya and dengue viruses, and 500 singleplex kits which can detect Zika virus.
The health minister also informed 26 out of 27 samples that were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology for testing in two batches has returned negative. The three positive cases were among the eight samples that were sent in the third batch.
More labs with Zika virus testing facilities will be made available soon, George said, adding that the state government intends to seek permission from the National Institute of Virology to conduct Zika virus tests in government labs that examine RT-PCR tests.
Zika virus is caused by an infected Aedes species mosquito. The virus can be passed from an expectant mother to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
