Amid Zika virus fears, UT Khader meets WHO officials

[email protected] (CD Network)
January 29, 2016

Mangaluru, Jan 29: Amidst fear over spread of the mysterious Zika virus across the world, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader has discussed the issue with representatives of WHO.

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“I had a discussion about Zika virus with WHO representative on Thursday. I will meet them again on Friday to understand about the screening protocols at airport since very little is known to us. We will go according to the advice given by the WHO. If screening is required, we will have experts deployed at airports to screen flyers exhibiting symptoms of Zika virus infection and help stop further spread of the deadly virus,” he told media persons in the city on Friday.

He also said the health minister instead of trying to screen people at airports - most of whom will be asymptomatic - should concentrate on eliminating breeding sites of mosquitoes especially Aedes aegypti mosquito. “Chile and Canada are at zero risk since the Aedes mosquito is not found there,” he noted.

He also pointed out that since there are reports that the first case was confirmed in South East Asia in 1966, and in the late 1970s it was documented in Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, the virus may be dormant in Indian population. ``what is the possibility that it is not already in Indian population,'' he questioned. Regarding Zica virus causing Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), Dr Kakkilaya said even in Mangaluru we have GBS cases. “But we do not know whether it is related to Zica virus,” he said.

Pan American Health organisation says that an increase in GBS has been observed in areas where a Zika virus epidemic has been documented like French Polynesia and Brazil.

WHAT IS ZIKA?

The Zika virus is spread from person to person through the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. The incubation period for the virus is two to seven days. Like in dengue, patients develop fever, rash and joint pain but in a mild form. Doctors advice against taking aspirin and non-ster oidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and Naproxen. According to CDC, deaths caused by the Zika virus are rare. So far, there's been one report of possible spread of the virus through blood transfusion and one report of possible spread of the virus through sexual contact.

Experts believe it's only a matter of time before India becomes its next target The Zika virus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito (the same vector that is known to transmit dengue and chicken guinea) has spread widely in Brazil with more than 2,500 cases reported in 2015. And according to doctors, the mosquite-borne disease should be a cause for concern in India. Healthcare workers in Brazil woke up to the crisis when pregnant women infected with Zika were discovered to have delivered babies with microcephaly, or, an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development. While medical experts were in the middle of establishing more links between the virus and the birth defect, an advisory issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week cautioned pregnant women and those of childbearing age against travelling to Brazil and 13 other countries where cases of Zika virus have surfaced.

Comments

AK
 - 
Saturday, 30 Jan 2016

Everything happens with the permission of ALLAH... So ask protection from HIM alone .. U Will be saved from any type of disease unless it is decreed on U .. Just follow the cleanliness, where ever U Go .. Keep Clean-your home, city, society & help others in keeping clean to prevent such Virus... Have faith in ALLAH & never fear.

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News Network
May 3,2020

Bengaluru, May 3: Renowned Kannada poet KS Nissar Ahmed passed away on May 3.

Winner of several awards including Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, Rajyotsava Award, Padma Shri among others, Ahmed died at the age of 84

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News Network
May 24,2020

Bengaluru, May 24: A couple got married in Bengaluru today, even as Karnataka government has announced a complete lockdown on Sundays, as part of the fourth phase of COVID-19 shutdown till the end of this month.

The marriage ceremony on this Sunday was possible thanks to a clarification given by the state government for marriages, which has been already scheduled for May 24 and May 31 to be exempted from the Sunday complete lockdown.

At today's wedding, the rituals were performed with compliance of all guidelines including ensuring social distancing and capping the number of guests at 50.

Satish, the groom said, "Government has allowed weddings with up to 50 people in attendance but we decided to invite only 25 people to the ceremony".

Meanwhile, in the Honnali Honnali area of Davanagere, BJP MLA MP Renukacharya distributed masks to three newly-wed couples.

As per an earlier advisory issued by the State government more than 50 guests, no air conditioning, and the consumption of liquor and paan are among the guidelines to be followed for holding weddings in the state. Also, people aged above 65 and below 10 as well as pregnant women have been barred from participating in the event.

According to the advisory, sanitisers should be provided at the entry and other appropriate places at the venue. Also, thermal screening of all persons shall be conducted at the entry of the venue. The scanner should be held 3-15 cms away from a person's forehead.

Apart from this, the venue shall be "clean and hygienic," and a "nodal person shall be identified for overseeing the arrangements and coordination at the venue." Also, a list of attendees with contact details has to be maintained and all guests should have downloaded Aarogya Setu app.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 22,2020

Mangaluru, May 22: Following requests from Kannadiga entrepreneurs in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and persistant efforts of former deputy chairperson of the NRI Forum of Karnataka government Dr Arathi Krishna, the government of India has finally approved the repatriation of stranded Indian expatriate workers amidst prolonged covid-19 lockdown through chartered flights arranged by their employing companies particularly in Gulf region and elsewhere. 

The government has also issued a Standard Operation Protocol (SOP) to be followed to be followed by those who hire the flights. The government's nod will not only allow repatriation of larger number of citizens, who are on wait-lists, but also allows private airlines to get their aircraft, crew, and operational staff actively working again in preparation for resumption of scheduled flights. 

Zakaria Jokatte, CEO of Al-Muzain Est. and K S Sheik, Director of Operations at Expertise Contracting Co. Ltd - both Mangalurean entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia - were among those who had sought permission to hire chartered flights for the immediate repatriation of their hundreds of employees. 

The NRI entrepreneurs in Gulf have thanked Dr Arathi Krishna for continuously persuading the authorities concerned to issue green signal for the operation of chartered flight at a time when there were only a few scheduled flights under Vande Bharat Mission. 

Welcoming the move Dr Arathi Krishna told coastaldigst.com that Indians stranded in any foreign country can utilize this facility. "Initially, I was approached by Mr Zakaria and Mr Sheik who wanted chartered flights to help their employees fly back to India. I asked them to write to the Indian Ambassador in Saudi Araia Mr Ausaf Sayeed. Then I requested the ambassador to forward the request to Joint Secretary Dr Nagendra Prasad, who is in charge of gulf division in the Ministry of External Affairs, and then to Secretary on charge of Gulf and then I requested Secretary of Economic Relations Mr T S Tirumurti who was also in charge of Gulf to follow this up," she said. 

"There were similar requests for chartered flights from African countries too. Then I persisted officers constantly to take it up to the Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and now all the people requesting this from Saudi Arabia have got confirmation from the ministry and communicated by embassy to those who had requested for the chartered flights," she said.

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