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Health minister asks for the formation of technical group to contain the spread of Zika virus in India

| | Jan 29, 2016, at 09:06 pm
# Zika virus in India # Health Minister # J P Nadda
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IBNS): Union health minister J P Nadda, on Friday, held a high level meeting with his senior officials and the All India Institute of Medical Science to take stock of the situation arising from the spread of Zika virus being reported from some countries.
On Friday, the central government's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda held a high level meeting comprising senior officials from the health ministry and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) to take stock of the situation in view of the recent cases of Zika Virus being reported from some countries. 
 
“We are closely monitoring the situation and all necessary steps have been initiated to ensure that India is well prepared in case of any eventuality,” the minister said after the meeting. 
 
Nadda has asked for the formation of a technical group with immediate effect which will monitor the situation arising out of spread of Zika Virus in other countries and will advise further on all the necessary steps that need to be taken. 
 
“We are focusing on especially strengthening the surveillance system,” the minister added. 
 
Aedes mosquito which transmits dengue also transmits Zika virus. 
 
Emphasising that there should be an increased focus on prevention to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito that breeds in clean water, the minister said, “Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard. There is a need for greater awareness amongst community." 
 
Also present in the meeting were B P Sharma, Secretary (Health), Dr. Jagdish Prasad, DGHS and other senior officers of the health ministry. 
 
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called an emergency meeting for Monday on the “dramatic” rise in Zika virus infection – strongly suspected of causing birth malformations – warning that its “explosive” spread could eventually infect up to four million people before it is brought under control.
 
The virus, first reported by Brazil in May, is expected to spread to other parts of the world where dengue, spread by the same mosquito, is also present, said Marcos Espinal, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO’s regional branch.

 

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