1. Karnataka steps up surveillance after detection of Zika virus in a mosquito pool in Chikkaballapura
Zika virus has been detected in Aedes mosquito species — mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus — from Talakayalabetta waterbody in Chikkaballapura district, following which blood samples of people with high fever have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for examination, officials said on November 2.
The virus was detected after samples from six waterbodies in Chikkaballapura were collected and sent for examination in August last week. Following confirmation of the presence of the virus, an alert was issued in a 5 km radius of the area as a precautionary measure to contain the breeding. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said no person has been tested positive for Zika virus.
