With Maharashtra reporting its first Zika virus case in Pune district, its Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said all areas adjoining the tehsil where the case had emerged have been placed under strict surveillance to preclude a further spread of the virus.
“Stringent surveillance in and around the areas from where the first case was reported will help ensure that the Zika cases do not spread any further,” he stated.
The State reported its first-ever case of the Zika virus last week, with a 50-year-old patient from Purandar in Pune testing positive. The woman, who had also been diagnosed with Chikungunya, has apparently recovered, as per State health authorities.
Following the development, the Central government immediately dispatched a multidisciplinary team to Maharashtra, mandating it to monitor the Zika virus situation and support the State government.
Local train services
Commenting on the COVID-19 situation in the State, Mr. Tope said the much-anticipated decision to fully open Mumbai’s local train services for the public had been put on hold for the time being.
“We are not saying we will not be opening local train services soon, but the decision to lift the restrictions has been put on hold, as a number of issues need to be considered before taking a call. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will discuss the matter further and a solution is expected to be formulated shortly,” he observed.
With the State recovering from the recent floods that devastated the Konkan region and the western parts, Mr. Tope said the authorities had been directed to ensure strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols in the affected districts as well as those with high case positivity rates.
“I have asked the authorities to stringently implement the protocols in the afflicted regions. If we stick to this, increase testing, numbers will certainly keep declining faster,” he added.
