Kanpur confirms 25 new Zika cases, taking total to 36

The city of Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh, has confirmed at least 25 more cases of Zika, a mosquito-borne illness that is spread by the Aedes mosquito, the same species that transmits the dengue and chikungunya viruses, bringing the total tally to 36.

The virus has spread in a three-kilometre radius around Chakeri Cantt, with District Magistrate Visakh G Iyer visiting the home of those affected. 

The 25 people infected, including air force personnel, have been isolated. Around 150 employees of the municipal corporation are carrying out sanitisation operations in areas where infections have been reported, which include Laal Kurti, Kakori, Lal Bungalow, Qazi Kheda, Om Purwa and Harjinder Nagar.

According to Iyer, 45,000 people have been screened in Kanpur District so far. Iyer has called a meeting to discuss the situation at the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday. Among the attendees are officials of the administrative health municipal corporation.

The first Zika case in Kanpur was reported on October 23. Within 10 days, 11 people were found to have been infected. The DM has said that people in the cantonment area will be tested for the virus since the source of the virus hasn’t been found yet despite the screening of more than 45,000 people in the first round. The second round of screening will start on Thursday.