Hyderabad: Screening for the Zika virus has been set up at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and international passengers travelling to affected areas are being requested to defer non-essential travel to Africa and South America.
Travellers to these countries are being sensitised about the virus not only by health officials but also the immigration authorities as the threat of the Zika virus in the affected areas ranges from “sporadic to widespread transmission”.
To ensure that travellers understand the gravity of the situation, printed pamphlets are being distributed so that they can seek help at the screening centres or the nearest health centre in the country they visit.
The pamphlet requests travellers to the affected countries to strictly follow individual protective mea-sures, especially during the day to prevent mosquito bites by using mosquito repellant cream, electronic mosquito repellants, mosquito nets and to dress to cover maximum body.
Those who have co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, chr-onic respiratory illness and immune disorders must seek advice from the nearest health facility prior to travelling to a affected country.
Dr Jupaka Mahesh, in-charge of the health centre at the airport said, “We are sensitising pregnant women not to travel to these countries if it is not an emergency. Also, those who have visited these countries and have now found out that they are pregnant must report to government doctors if they are suffering from joint pain, high fever, conjunctivitis or rashes. They must also very clearly state their travel history as the doctors will be able to check and also treat them better.”
Married women traveling to these affected areas are being advised to not get pregnant immediately and wait for some more time before planning a child, said government gynaecologist Dr Geeta Naidu.
Dr Naidu said, “With 4,000 babies in the affected countries born with abnormally small heads and cases of guillain-barre syndrome, pregnancy must be deferred, this is the advise being given by the Centre.”
At the same time, those who have been in the affected areas during the first trimester or the second trimester must mention their travel history to gynecologists in the ante-natal visits so that the fetus is monitored appropriately.
