Three cases of Zika virus detected in Madhya Pradesh leading to a fear of its spread in large scale, the government appoints a team to carry a survey on 2.8 lakh people of 18 wards of Bhopal. The health department would carry the survey extensively from door-to-door covering the maximum number of people.
Survey would cover every house in the radius of 3 km from Char Imli area of the city. The state government geared up after a 13-year-old child from Char Imli area tested positive for Zika virus.
Similar surveys would be conducted in Sironj town of Vidisha district and Gopalpur area of Sehore district, as a 1.5-month-old and a 3-month-old, respectively have been diagnosed with the virus at those places. This is the first time that Zika virus cases have been detected in Madhya Pradesh. The virus has been detected in MP for the first time.
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Samples of over 2,200 patients have been tested for the Zika virus in Madhya Pradesh, so far. A Union health ministry team has been in the city for the past four days to monitor the situation. On Friday, it visited the newly built virology laboratory of Gandhi Medical College (GMC) and the AlIMS laboratory. The team inspected facilities at both laboratories and preparedness of both hospitals in dealing with Zika cases.
To diagnose Zika cases, both blood and urine samples are tested. The doctors said that, in the first week of the infection, the virus can be identified by testing blood samples and, afterward, by testing urine samples.
Zika Virus: Figures
- Total 3 positive cases in MP
- 1 Positive case in Bhopal
- 2.8L Population to be surveyed
- 165 Teams to be involved
- 2,200 Samples tested in MP
- 250 Samples tested at AIIMS
- 20 Results awaited
