CHENNAI: Even though the World Health Organisation (WHO) is considering conducting an emergency meeting soon to decide whether to declare a public health emergency after it announced that Zika virus is spreading explosively in America, health officials here say not a single case has so far been reported in India and asserted there was nothing to panic.
All precautionary measures have been taken in airports and sea ports and health officials are screening people for Zika cases.
The officials say, Zika virus spread from human to human through Aedes mosquitoes, same strain that spread dengue fever. “But it is not a dreaded virus. When diagnosed early it can be controlled completely,” said K Kolandaswamy, director, public health department, Tamil Nadu. There is no alert to India or Tamil Nadu by the WHO yet but still we are prepared and screening people entering the State by air or sea. The fever can be managed well with paracetamol tablets, he added.