Unnecessary travel to Zika-affected countries discouraged by Indian Govt.

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Feb 03, 2016: The Centre on Feb 2, Tuesday advised citizens against non-essential travel to countries affected by ’Zika’ virus and urged pregnant women to defer or cancel such visits.

 

Guidelines issued by the Indian health ministry on combating the deadly virus also urged travellers to affected countries to take strict protective measures like using mosquito repellents. People with diabetes and hypertension were asked to seek medical advice before travelling to affected countries.

The disease is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito -- which commonly transmits the dengue virus -- has been reported in 22 countries and territories in the Americas. The virus is known to cause microcephaly, in which newborns have underdeveloped skulls and brains.

The ministry’s guidelines on Zika come a day after World Health Organization declared a global emergency.

The health ministry said that all international airports and ports will display signage with information on the disease. Travellers will be asked to report to customs if they are returning from affected countries and suffering from febrile illness, it added.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said he has asked for steps to be taken to prevent entry and transmission of the virus in India .

The overall situation will be monitored by a ’joint monitoring group’ under Director General of Health Services (DGHS) while the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would identify the research priorities and take appropriate action.

WHO declaration :

WHO declared the spread of zika virus a global emergency, closer home in Chennai, King Institute of Preventive Medicine has been waiting for close to a month with blood samples to test for zika virus but are yet to receive the kits they ordered.  Officials say Tamil Nadu -often lauded for its good health indices -is yet to put in place a mechanism to screen people for zika virus. Although deaths are rare and only one in five people infected is likely to develop symptoms that normally last for two to seven days, the biggest concern is the impact it could have on babies developing in the womb. It is believed that the virus can travel across the placenta and affect an unborn baby, causing microcephaly -a condition that stunts development of the brain in infants if the mother contracts it.

The Karnataka Govt., announced plans to  check passengers at International arrival points in the state.

Interesting fall-out :

 Tata Motors has decided to rename its latest hatchback ZICA, derived from "(Zi)ppy (Ca)r" due to the recent outbreak of Zika virus in many countries.

"Empathising with the hardships caused by the recent "Zika" virus outbreak across many countries, Tata Motors, as a socially responsible company, has decided to re-brand the car," the company said.

The new car will be showcased publicly for the first time at the Auto Expo 2016, in New Delhi (Greater Noida) from February 3-9, 2016.

Latest development :

 As per a release from Dallas USA, a  person in Texas has been infected with the Zika virus after having sex with an ill person who had returned from South America, local health officials said.

It’s the first case of the virus being transmitted in the U.S. during the current outbreak of Zika, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas.