India witnesses biggest Zika virus outbreak as 50 test positive in Jaipur

Jaipur: A total of 50 people have tested positive for Zika virus in Jaipur making it the biggest outbreak of the deadly disease in India so far.

This development comes few days after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) sought a comprehensive report from the Health Ministry on the outbreak of Zika virus after 29 people were tested positive in Rajasthan's Jaipur.

According to a Hindustan Times report, 11 pregnant women are also infected with the virus. Officials are making sure that the infection does not spread further by controlling mosquito breeding.

At least 276 teams have been deployed in Zika virus-affected wards of Jaipur's Shastri Nagar.

The teams have already surveyed 11,313 houses, of which 2,282 are positive for mosquito breeding. Apart from this, around 39,246 containers have been checked, of which 3,567 are positive for larvae.

As a preventive measure, 133 blood and urine samples including 58 pregnant females and 75 fever patients have been collected and sent to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College for further investigations.

Fogging has also been done in the affected area to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda assured that everything is under control and that there is no need to panic.

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.

Symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache. Symptoms typically last for two to seven days.

(With inputs from ANI)