Zika

The chief of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), Dr N K Arora said that the country should be "ready to fight" the Zika virus in case of an "outbreak"

Test can differentiate between seven diseases and give results in 2 hrs

The Union Government has been extending the requisite technical and other support to the state government in this regard, said Bharati Pravin Pawar

Amid concerns of identifying a cluster of Zika virus in the capital city, five more people, including four women, have tested positive for infection in Kerala, taking the caseload to 28.

A 73-year-old woman tested positive for Zika virus in Kerala on Monday, taking the total number of infections in the state to 19.

Researchers have discovered that a common bacteria, wolbachia, can inhibit virus infections in mosquitoes

Centre says it was working along with the state governments, the local authorities and the municipal corporations for augmenting and strengthening their efforts in vector control, surveillance

The outbreak, which emerged in Brazil in 2015, has affected some 70 countries

"Zika is Zika until proven otherwise. We assume that all Zikas are equally dangerous," said Derek Gatherer, a biomedical expert at Lancaster University in Britain

Hyderabad-based vBharat Biotech has already completed pre-clinical studies on vaccine in animals and has sought government permission to begin human trials

Data show that of all Zika cases with laboratory evidence of infection, 62% were female

The true size of the effect will become clear only after full analysis of all 200 cases and 400 controls

For those who can afford private lab testing, the wait is much shorter, often less than a week

In India, the Zika virus was first found in Pune 64 years ago

Health Minister S Subramaniam suggested people who have infected spouses to avoid sex or postpone pregnancy for at least 6 months

However, authorities said they will continue to monitor the baby's health and conduct regular blood and urine tests

From September 2015 to March 2016, while Zika infections peaked in El Salvador, cases of Guillain-Barre doubled to 184 from 92

Besides Singapore, 57 other countries have reported cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection

It said that at this point the community transmission appears to be localised within the district