'No need to panic': UP CM Adityanath as Zika virus tally in Kanpur breaches 100

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday reviewed the Zika virus situation in Kanpur by visiting the virus-hit areas and speaking to family members of the infected patients.

The number of Zika virus cases in Kanpur has breached the 100-mark since the infection was first detected on October 25.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Of the total 105 positive cases detected, 17 are now negative for the virus. Five wards have been affected.”

Adityanath said the district administration, health department and municipal council have strategically worked on increasing surveillance, sanitisation and investigation in Kanpur.

“Our team is identifying symptomatic people and providing them with medicine kits by getting them hospitalised,” he said, adding that the remaining 88 patients will recover.

The chief minister also said that the number of health teams has increased and there is no need to panic.

Zika virus is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by the Aedes mosquito, which bites during the day. The symptoms are mild fever, rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache.

District authorities said on Tuesday that steps are being taken to monitor the rise in cases.

"A hundred teams have been deployed in the Kanpur city for source reduction, 100 teams for home sampling, 50 teams for sampling and additional 15 rapid response teams (RRT) to check the spread of Zika virus," Dr Nepal Singh, the chief medical officer (CMO) of Kanpur, told news agency ANI.

Dr Singh said that nearly 4,000 samples have been collected so far of which 193 samples were collected on Tuesday. “The source detection team visited 3,777 houses on Tuesday taking the cumulative tally to 40,238,” he further told ANI.

The top official also said that friends and relatives of infected patients are also being monitored.