‘We are fully prepared to tackle Zika virus’

Puducherry is fully prepared to tackle Zika virus and there is no need to panic, said Director of Health K.V. Raman.

Talking to reporters here on Monday after a review meeting to assess the Health department’s preparedness, he said that no suspected case of the Zika virus had been reported so far.

All effective steps had been taken as per the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry.

The Zika virus, transmitted by the

Aedes mosquito which also transmits dengue has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation with its spread to more than twenty countries.

According to the guidelines, a majority of those affected with the virus either remain asymptomatic or show mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body ache and joint pains.

The Government has intensified vector management and measures undertaken for control of Dengue will be further augmented.

Over 200 workers from the Department of Local Administration and the Health Department have been assigned for source reduction.

The Government has also activated Rapid Response Team and District Response Teams in Puducherry and Karaikal districts, Mr. Raman said.

An isolation ward has also been set up at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College Hospital and Puducherry Government Hospital for suspected cases. Testing has been facilitated at the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, and National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The laboratory at the Vector Control and Research Centre will be equipped with a RT-PCR (reverse transcription-Polymerase chain reaction) test kit in another 10 days for investigation and diagnosis of Zika cases, he said.