After Kerala, the cases of Zika virus have been found in West Bengal. Acting fast, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government on Friday has formed a five-member expert committee to tackle this new threat, reported News18.
Besides, the West Bengal government has also instructed all the district administrations to report any suspected case of the mosquito-transmitted disease directly to the health department.
Meanwhile, Zika virus cases in Kerala went up to 14 on Friday with the National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirming 13 more cases. The first case was reported on Thursday after a 24-year-old pregnant woman was diagnosed with the mosquito-transmitted disease. Following this, the southern state has been put on alert.
Moreover, a six-member central team of experts has been dispatched to Kerala to monitor the Zika virus situation and support the state government in management of cases, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
At a press conference, joint secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal said, "There are some Zika cases which have been reported from Kerala. To monitor the situation and to support the state government, a six-member team comprising public health experts, vector-borne disease experts and clinicians from AIIMS has already been issued instructions to reach there and support the state government in terms of management of Zika there."
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