Travel advisory—Jaipur on alert as Zika Virus hits it

Jaipur is dealing with zika virus outbreak now, and tourists are advised not to plan a visit there for the time being. The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is making all efforts to contain the situation and stop it from spreading further.

So far, the Health Ministry has confirmed that 22 people in the city have tested positive. It is a grave situation now as there is no vaccine yet to treat the virus. This virus causes severe birth defects in unborn children, because of which pregnant women in the area are being closely watched. A healthcare body has also been set up by the National Health Mission to improve the health condition of people across the country.
The Toronto-based International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers issued a statement advising pregnant travellers to postpone their trips to this place, which is a part of India’s popular tourist attraction ‘golden triangle’.

As per the latest news reports, the Union Health Ministry has already dispatched a high-level seven member team to Jaipur to assist the State Government in containing the spread of zika virus. Meanwhile, the Bihar Government, as a preventive measure, also issued an advisory in all its 38 districts after a 22-year-old-student, who was studying in Jaipur, was tested positive with zika virus. The state government has instructed all the districts to report all cases of fever and microcephaly (a condition in which a baby's head is significantly smaller than expected, often due to abnormal brain development).

Symptoms of zika virus are similar to those of dengue and include skin rashes, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, headache, and muscle and joint pain.
It is, however, the third such outbreak of zika virus in India; Ahmedabad was hit in January 2017 and Tamil Nadu was the second one to be hit in July 2017.