‘Seasonal disease prevention plan will take the sting out of Zika’

Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya also transmit Zika

The detection of at least 18 cases of Zika virus in Kerala until Sunday evening has put other States on alert. In Telangana, although a general alert has not yet been issued, officials said precautionary measures being taken to prevent vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria would also help avoid Zika cases too. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), symptoms of Zika virus infection are generally mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle and joint pain. “Symptoms typically last for two to seven days. Most people do not develop symptoms. Zika infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome,” states WHO. Health officials here initiated a slew of precautionary measures before the onset of monsoon to keep vector-borne diseases at bay. They were tasked to identify high-risk areas where the disease incidence was higher last year.