Health Ministry Team to Assess the Spread of West Nile Virus in Kerala

Health Ministry team is all set to take effective measures to control West Nile Virus (WNV) in Kerala.

The government said it has dispatched a multi-disciplinary Central team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to assess the spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Kerala.

West Nile Virus - Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Prevention
West Nile virus is an infection causing agent transmitted by mosquitoes. Most of the infected people do not display any signs or symptoms.

‘Health Ministry team is all set to assess the spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) fever, a mosquito-borne disease in Kerala.’
Read More..

Tweet it Now

The Health Ministry decision came after a seven-year-old boy from Malappuram district was reportedly diagnosed with WNV -- a mosquito-borne disease mostly reported in the US.

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda has reviewed the situation with Secretary Preeti Sudan and has directed for all support to be extended to Kerala for the prevention and management of the disease, the Union Ministry said.

Nadda is closely monitoring the situation, it added.

New Antibody Discovery Could Prevent West Nile Virus Infection
New Antibody discovery could prevent people from getting West Nile Virus, finds a new study.

"The NCDC Central team includes Doctors Ruchi Jain RHO Trivandrum, Suneet Kaur, Assistant Director NCDC, E. Rajendran Entomologist NCDC Calicut and Binoy Basu, EIS Officer, NCDC. The team will support the state health authorities in managing the disease," the Ministry said in a statement.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been alerted, and a close watch is being maintained at the Central and state level. There are no reports of the spread of the virus to any other part of the country.

Pesticide-free Way To Combat Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
Pesticide-free way to combat mosquitoes and West Nile virus has been identified by a recent research that claims that releasing hungry minnows into water bodies where mosquitoes breed may reduce the number of mosquito larva.

West Nile fever is spread by Culex mosquitoes, and the infection could be confirmed only if the second samples test positive. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally a skin rash on the body, and swollen lymph glands.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the WNV is transmitted to humans through bites from mosquitoes which get infected when they feed on infected birds.

West Nile Virus Outbreaks Usually Occur Following Unusually Warm Winters
West Nile virus epidemics often begin following unusually warm winters, are in similar geographical locations and are predicted by the mosquito vector index, according to an analysis.

Source-IANS