India continues to grapple with Zika virus as 120 people in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for the disease in the last three weeks alone. The outbreak is ongoing, having begun in July of this year and continuing to these more recent cases. Fears are abundant that Zika could spread to the capital […]
Zika virus
Zika outbreak continues in Kerala
The Zika outbreak in Kerala continues, with more cases reported in the state already embattled by COVID-19. The state detected cases of Zika last week, putting it on alert. As of yesterday, the total case count is nineteen. The state health minister Veena George announced the establishment of testing facilities at the medical colleges in […]
Zika virus once again threatens India
A number of Zika virus cases have been reported in Kerala, sparking fears that the disease could gain a foothold in the country at large. Ten cases have so far been reported in Kerala, with one being a 24-year-old pregnant woman. Thirteen more individuals from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram are currently being tested after being […]
Mosquito sterilisation to curb disease?
A number of agencies are investigating mosquito-sterilisation as a technique to curb the spread of vector-borne diseases. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), and the World Health Organization (WHO) are partnering to explore the sterile insect […]
If there’s a major disease outbreak, is India prepared?
Earlier this year, a list was unveiled of ten diseases which could result in a future epidemic in India. Now, an index has been unveiled of countries ranked according to their preparedness in the face of a future infectious disease outbreak of epidemic or pandemic proprtions. The Global Health Security Index – prepared by the […]
Asia and WHO collaborate on emerging diseases
A large-scale collaboration has been announced between a number of Southeast Asian nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to address the issue of emerging diseases. India, along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepala, North Korea, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, have come together under the World Health Organization – South East […]
Centre protests Zika warning, US CDC retracts
The Government reacted with resentment to a travel warning issued by a US agency about the Zika virus, with the agency since withdrawing and modifying its comments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously put out an advisory, cautioning pregnant women from travelling to India following Zika virus outbreaks in two states last […]
CDC issues travel warnings due to Zika in Rajasthan
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US have issued an advisory message to pregnant women. This message states that travel to India is ill-advised as Zika is “endemic” in the country. The situation with the Zika virus — though seeming dire across October and November — has been deemed by the […]
Disease profile: Zika virus
Though the Zika virus has been known of for far longer, it was brought to the forefront of the public’s attention during the 2015-2016 epidemic that saw the virus become common throughout central and south America. The virus is primarily transmitted by female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes which are typically active from dawn […]
Zika virus in India: Fourth case spotted by university project
Fears that the Zika virus could continue to spread in India are increasing. A fourth case of the virus has been detected in the state of Tamil Nadu. What’s noteworthy – and perhaps concerning – about the case is that the infected individual was uncovered not by national surveillance programmes, but by a Manipal University […]