India: Kerala issues Zika virus alert after 14 cases
Kerala in southern India has issued a statewide alert for the Zika virus after detecting at least 14 cases amid another surge in COVID-19 infections.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes mosquito species and through sexual contact.
The virus causes fever, rashes, conjunctivitis and muscle and joint pain, but fatalities are rare.
A 24-year-old woman who had just given birth was confirmed to have the Zika virus on Thursday, becoming Kerala’s first case of the mosquito-borne disease.
Thirteen more cases were detected on Friday, Kerala’s Health Minister, Veena George said. All the cases are being treated at a hospital in the capital Thiruvananthapuram and are reported to be stable.
