Thiruvananthapuram: A doctor of a private hospital here tested positive for Zika virus besides two others Tuesday. The new Zika virus infections took the total number of infected people in Kerala to 22. With the Covid-19 pandemic yet to subside in Kerala completely, the Zika virus cases are turning out to be a concern for the Kerala health department.
A Coimbatore-based lab confirmed that the 38-year-old doctor was infected with the virus after testing his samples. This information was shared by the Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
Two more persons, including a woman, tested positive earlier in the day. The affected persons were identified as a 35-year-old man, hailing from nearby Poonthura and a 41-year-old woman, native of Sashtamangalam here, the minister said.
The samples were tested at the virology lab in the government medical college here and at the Coimbatore-based laboratory respectively. George urged people to be vigilant as the number of those testing positive for Zika virus has increased in Kerala.
The testing for Zika virus began at the government medical college here on Monday, George informed. She added that 15 samples had been tested on the initial day.
One of the persons, whose sample was tested, was found positive for dengue. The remaining 14 samples tested negative for any virus, the minister informed.
