Five more Zika virus cases have been reported in Kerala, reaching a total of cases to 35

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday that five more persons, including a kid, tested positive for Zika virus in the state, bringing the overall number of recorded cases to 35, with 11 of them active.

According to the minister, one of the positive cases was reported from Ernakulam, and the person in question was a health worker in Thiruvananthapuram.

All Zika cases have so far been recorded from the state capital.

The virus was confirmed in testing at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College’s Virology Lab, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Alappuzha, and the Microbiology Lab in Coimbatore, according to the ministry.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan and George met on Friday to discuss how they might work closely with the Local Self Government department to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and develop ward sanitation committees.