Anantapur: In the backdrop of Zika virus being detected in samples collected from a mosquito pool in Talakayalabetta village of Chikkaballapura district in Karnataka, AP health department has sounded an alert and is taking up surveillance measures.
National Institute of Virology – NIV’s unit in Bengaluru has confirmed that the Talakayalabetta samples have tested positive on October 18.
Zika Virus Disease (ZVD) is said to cause microcephaly and other congenital anomalies among newborns. The AP health department advisory says serum and urine samples of all pregnant women in the border areas should be collected and sent to NIV for testing.
It said ZVD patients show symptoms of red eyes, headache, rashes, muscle pain and joint pain, which last from two to seven days.
Following the advisory, health department has issued an alert in areas of Satya Sai district bordering Karnataka. It has also advised frequent travellers between AP and Karnataka to be wary.
The integrated check post at Kodikonda is also on alert about the spread of Zika virus into Andhra Pradesh.
There are reports that the first phase of Covid broke into Andhra Pradesh from Karnataka through the bordering areas of Hindupur.
