First Zika outbreak in Kerala as pandemic disrupts mosquito control program

The disruption of mosquito control programs due to the pandemic is believed to have contributed to the very first outbreak of the Zika virus in the state of Kerala in southern India.

Over the past week, at least 21 people have been infected with the vector-borne disease, which has an 8% death rate and has been linked to birth defects and brain damage in unborn babies.

The virus, which can cause fever and muscle pain, is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that bite infected primates, known reservoirs of the virus, although it can also be transmitted sexually.

In Kerala, like much of India, humans are increasingly coming into direct contact with monkey habitats as forest areas are cleared for new infrastructure and housing.

Little was known about the Zika virus until 2015, when an epidemic in northeastern Brazil spread across the Americas and Asia, infecting more than 500,000 people. Several countries have advised their citizens to delay pregnancy until the virus is gone.

The first case of Zika in India was detected in 2017 and more than 100 people were infected during epidemics in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh the following year.

In recent years, states across India have implemented strict mosquito control measures – using larvicides to kill mosquitoes in large bodies of water and nebulizers to spray insecticides in small puddles. of water that collect in residential areas.

Health workers also delivered millions of long-lasting insecticidal nets.

Few countries have been hit as hard as India during the Covid-19 pandemic and resources previously devoted to mosquito control have been reallocated.

“Zika is new here in Kerala, we don’t know exactly how this epidemic came about, but mosquito control is the most important thing,” said Dr Arun N Madhavan, one of the leading doctors in the area. Kerala.

“During the second wave of Covid-19, normal healthcare in Kerala was disrupted and the clean-up of water bodies did not go as usual. This could be one of the reasons why we let’s see cases. “

Public health experts agree that more research is needed, but that the halt in mosquito control was a “logical” explanation for why Kerala was experiencing its first outbreak.

“Covid-19 has affected a lot of things. It could have given a window for the mosquito population to multiply in Kerala and the virus to emerge,” said Dr Shahid Jameel, one of India’s leading virologists.

Public health experts have warned that countries reducing mosquito control measures during the Covid-19 pandemic risk a resurgence of other vector-borne diseases, such as dengue or malaria.

Kerala has stepped up surveillance for Zika symptoms in districts where cases have been detected and is stepping up mosquito control measures. The state has one of the best healthcare systems in India and no deaths have been reported so far.

Authorities maintain there is no reason to panic, but residents should be alert to symptoms of the virus as more cases are expected to be detected in the state in the coming weeks.

“If this were to emerge somewhere in India, you would choose Kerala because they have the best primary health care system to control it. Let’s keep an eye on it and it won’t get out of hand,” Dr Jameel said.

Residents of neighboring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states have also been urged to remain vigilant.

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