30 more people test positive for Zika virus in Kanpur, tally rises to 66

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Thirty more people have tested positive for Zika virus here, taking the total number of those infected in the district to 66, a senior official said on Friday.

Of those infected, 45 are men and 21 women, according to officials.

The first case in Kanpur was reported on October 23 when an Indian Air Force (IAF) warrant officer tested positive for Zika virus.

"Thirty more people have tested positive for Zika virus in Kanpur,” District Magistrate Vishak G Ayyar said.

Samples were collected from various pockets in the neighbouring areas of IAF station hangars and sent to the lab at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow for testing.

Thirty of them came back positive for Zika virus, he said.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and hence, getting rid of mosquitoes is the safe way out, he said.

To check the spread of the disease, health teams are undertaking sanitisation programmes including anti-larvae spraying and identifying fever patients, screening seriously ill people and pregnant women.

Health officials have been asked to step up surveillance and ensure door-to-door sampling and testing for Zika virus.

"We advise the local people not to panic regarding the sudden spurt in Zika virus cases,” Ayyar said.

A high alert has been sounded in the periphery of hangars of the IAF station, another official said.

To check the spread of Zika virus, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the health department to ensure strict surveillance and to undertake frequent and extensive door-to-door sanitisation and fogging drives to prevent mosquito breeding.