India battles Zika
As many as 140 people in the Indian city of Jaipur have been infected with Zika virus, the biggest outbreak that the country has seen to date. While India is one of over 80 countries where Zika is present, last year was the first time that cases were officially confirmed, and the first two outbreaks – in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu – were very small. Not only is this current outbreak significantly bigger than the earlier flare-ups, but health authorities have also said that, for the first time, they have found mosquitoes that are carrying the virus, which suggests that it is being transmitted locally, a new and concerning development.
Officials have said that the outbreak is under control, with 125 cases having recovered; 40 of the reported cases were in pregnant women, and they will be kept under close watch. However, in many cases of Zika infection, those affected show no symptoms, so there may be many more cases that health authorities do not know about. What’s more, Jaipur is a very popular tourist spot, so there are concerns about the potential for the infection to spread more widely. Despite this, tourism official Kuldeep Ranka described the outbreak as ‘effectively contained’ and said that it was not affecting tourism.
As a precautionary measure, insecticides are being sprayed to kill adult mosquitoes to avoid further transmission. There is currently no vaccine for Zika, although several are in the developmental stages.