Two more Zika virus cases detected in Kerala capital
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two more persons have been detected with Zika virus in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
A 35-year-old Poonthura native was detected using the newly introduced testing facility at the Medical College hospital, Thiruvananthapuram from Monday. The second case was detected in a patient from a private hospital in the city. Her samples were tested in a lab in Coimbatore. All the 21 Zika cases reported in the state are from Thiruvananthapuram.
The first case was detected in a pregnant woman in the district on July 8.
The health department has set up Zika testing facilities at medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Kozhikode. It has procured 2100 testing kits from the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The Thiruvananthapuram MCH received 500 triplex kits that can detect dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus and 500 singleplex kits that can be used only for detecting Zika virus.
One case of Zika and another of dengue were detected among 15 samples tested in the hospital on the first day.
Zika is detected using blood and urine samples through the RT-PCR Test (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test). NIV, Pune has recommended the use of blood samples. Five milliliters of blood of a suspected Zika virus infected person will be collected and the serum will be separated from it for conducting RT-PCR test.
It will require upto eight hours to get the results in the beginning. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is performed to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus.
In the case of Covid-19, nasal swabs are used to conduct the PCR test.