How Uttar Pradesh has become Zika's new home in India

LUCKNOW: It was on October 16 that a 55-year-old Indian Airforce warrant officer decided not to take his fever lightly. He went to the IAF hospital in Kanpur’s cantonment area. Along with fever, the patient had rashes on his body and complained of pain in joints and muscle.The primary line of treatment comprising antibiotics, anti-allergic and anti-pyretic was advised. A week went by but there was little relief. On the contrary, the patient grew weaker. The patient’s sample were then sent to the microbiology laboratory at Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and National Institute of Virology Pune for virologic assessment.On October 23, the patient was declared as UP’s first case of Zika virus infection. Seventeen days later, the state’s Zika positive tally has gone up to 107 with Kanpur accounting for 106 cases. The other case was reported from Kannauj, barely 85 kilometres from Kanpur. Among the affected are three pregnant women in the final trimester, 18 children under 12 years of age and 11 IAF personnel. 87627414State on high alertOn October 23, the state government issued an advisory on Zika virus. The order issued apprised the officials on the vector-borne disease and directed them to keep vigil on suspected cases, draw a detailed micro-plan of action, organise a training of health staff, assess availability and requirement of logistics needed, undertake fresh entomological survey and alert hospitals to notify any suspected case among other things.Officials at state integrated diseases surveillance programme cell rolled out a separate strategy for Kanpur. Additional chief secretary health and family welfare Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters that aggressive contact tracing, surveillance and monitoring activities have been launched in the district. Two days later, on October 25, the Union ministry of health and family welfare sent a multi-disciplinary team comprising an entomologist, public health specialists and gynaecologist drawn from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, National Centre for Disease Control and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi to take stock of the situation and extend help to state authorities for control and containment measures. Two other teams from the Centre and four teams from the state have visited Kanpur and Kannauj to keep a tab of the situation.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath paid a visit to the affected areas. He was accompanied by health minister Jai Pratap Singh, who claimed that all possible efforts were being taken to contain Zika and urged people in the affected areas to cooperate with the health and local authorities.“The role of people is crucial here. While the government is doing its bit, adherence to prevention protocol and flagging the system in case of any complication lies in their hands,” he said. medium87629356 Surveillance underwayTalking about the present status, state surveillance officer, Dr Vikasendu Agarwal said: “Of the total cases in Kanpur, 17 have recovered which leaves the district with 88 active cases. He said that the surveillance area has been expanded to a radius of three kilometres from the first case. This includes a core area of 400 metres, primary buffer of one-kilometre radius and the secondary buffer.” About the entomological survey, he revealed that 246 mosquitoes isolated from the affected area have been sent to National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi. “Vector- control activities have been launched even as the report from NIMR is awaited,” he said. Nearly 5,000 samples of suspected patients from Kanpur, Kannauj and half a dozen neighbouring districts including Unnao, Lucknow, Kanpur Dehat, Fatehpur and Hamirpur have been sent for analysis, he added. medium87627573Locals on the guardWhile containment strategy is on, locals remain concerned. “The disease has been reported in our city for the first time and health authorities are extremely concerned. This is bound to create panic amongst us too,” said Sonu Jaiswal, a resident of Pokhar Purwa locality in. A businessman in Shyam Nagar area, Faraz Ansari said: “Some of my relatives are also under scanner. Fever has become such a scary thing now. The biggest challenge is how to differentiate between what is normal fever and what is something else.” Mohd Saif Khan recalled that he was extremely tense till he tested negative for the virus. Health officials urged people not to panic. They however asked people to be alert.boxcontentHistory of Zika cases in India* The first three cases of Zika virus were recorded in Ahmedabad between November 2016 and February 2017* In July 2017, Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu recorded the state’s first and India’s fourth case* In September 2018, as many as 29 cases of Zika virus were reported from Jaipur* In November 2018, Madhya Pradesh recorded 130 cases of Zika virus * In July 2021, a single zika virus infection case was confirmed in Kerala. Maharashtra also recorded its first case in Pune* In October 23, 2021, Uttar Pradesh recorded its first case in Kanpur district. The total number of cases is 106 in Kanpur and one in Kannauj