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<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> has reported its first confirmed case of <keyword id="20134986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Monkeypox" source="keywords">Monkeypox</keyword> (<keyword id="20965747" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mpox" source="keywords">Mpox</keyword>) caused by the highly transmissible <keyword id="22812233" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Clade-1B" source="keywords">Clade 1B</keyword> strain, marking a significant moment in the country’s ongoing battle against the <keyword id="20542503" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viral-disease" source="keywords">viral disease</keyword>. According to sources in the <keyword id="19896140" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Health-Ministry" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Health Ministry" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Health Ministry">Health Ministry</keyword>, this case involves a patient from <keyword id="19896018" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala" source="keywords">Kerala</keyword> <keyword id="19895006" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="WHO" source="keywords">who</keyword> had recently returned from Dubai. The World Health Organization (WHO) had recently raised concerns about the spread of Mpox, classifying it as a disease of international concern, especially as new, more infectious strains emerge. While Mpox has appeared in India before, all prior cases were linked to the less deadly Clade II strain. <h2>A new, more <keyword id="22892041" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="transmissible-strain" source="keywords">transmissible strain</keyword></h2>The case in Kerala is the first in India involving Clade 1B, a variant known for its higher transmission rate and increased mortality compared to previous strains. A Health Ministry official confirmed that the patient is currently in stable condition and that rigorous contact tracing efforts are underway to prevent further spread. This response follows India’s earlier experience with Mpox, where over 30 cases were recorded between 2022 and 2024, predominantly from travellers returning from African nations where the disease remains endemic. <h2>Mpox symptoms and spread</h2>Mpox manifests through typical viral symptoms, including fever, headaches, and muscle pain, eventually leading to skin rashes or lesions. These rashes often emerge a few days after the fever and vary in appearance, sometimes resembling fluid-filled blisters that crust over and heal within a few weeks. However, while symptoms usually resolve without intervention, the disease can lead to serious complications and, in rare instances, death. Unlike COVID-19 or influenza, Mpox is not airborne. Its primary mode of transmission is through close physical contact, particularly skin-to-skin contact or exposure to contaminated materials, such as bedding or clothing. Sexual transmission is also a significant factor in the spread of the disease. Health experts stress the importance of maintaining strict hygiene practices and ensuring that caregivers use personal protective equipment when attending to infected individuals. <h2>Health Ministry's preparedness</h2>In light of this new development, the Indian government is taking preventive measures to contain the situation. Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra has issued directives to states and Union Territories, urging them to ensure isolation facilities are readily available for suspected or confirmed cases. These measures also include ramping up resources such as trained healthcare personnel and medical supplies. While there is no immediate risk of a widespread outbreak, authorities are adopting a cautious approach to avoid any potential escalation. Recent cases, such as one involving a resident of Hisar, Haryana, demonstrate the country’s ongoing efforts to monitor, isolate, and treat Mpox cases effectively. (With inputs from agencies)

More transmissible, higher fatality rate: India records first case of fast-spreading Mpox strain Clade 1B in Kerala man

Recent weeks have seen a concerning surge in <keyword id="22056660" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zika-virus" source="keywords">Zika virus</keyword> cases across <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>, particularly in Pune, Maharashtra. As of the latest reports, Pune alone has reported a total of 12 confirmed cases, including several <keyword id="19905236" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pregnant-women" source="keywords">pregnant women</keyword>. The <keyword id="20877025" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="outbreak" source="keywords">outbreak</keyword> has prompted local health authorities to intensify surveillance and implement stringent measures to curb further spread. <h2>What is Zika and how deadly is it?</h2>Zika virus, primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, shares its vector with <keyword id="6360092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dengue" source="Orion">dengue</keyword> and chikungunya. While most infected individuals experience mild symptoms like fever, headache, red eyes, rash, and joint pain, the virus can pose severe risks, especially to pregnant women. It is also known to cause <keyword id="20496650" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microcephaly" source="keywords">microcephaly</keyword> — a condition where a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected — and other neurological complications in infants exposed in utero, highlighting its potential for devastating impacts. However, it may be noted that no Zika-associated microcephaly cases have been reported in the country since 2016. <h2>Where have the Zika cases arisen?</h2>Cases have been reported not only in Pune but also in other parts of Maharashtra such as Kolhapur and Ahmednagar. Additionally, states like Karnataka and Kerala have also reported instances of Zika infections. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111250832" title="Bengaluru on dengue alert: City reports over 1,000 cases in 20 days; BBPM Chief falls prey to disease" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>As per a The New Indian Express report, the Karnataka patient has since succumbed, although officials have noted that other complications could have contributed to the death. <h2>Do I need to worry about catching the illness?</h2>While Zika virus infections generally result in mild illness for most individuals, the greatest concern lies with pregnant women. Infections during pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects such as microcephaly, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and preventive measures. <h2>What precautions can I take against Zika?</h2>In the absence of a vaccine, we must do our best to avoid the infection. To minimise the risk of contracting the Zika virus, individuals are advised to: <ul><li>Avoid mosquito bites: Use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and stay in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms.</li><li>Eliminate mosquito breeding sites: Regularly empty standing water from containers like flowerpots, buckets, and birdbaths where mosquitoes breed.</li><li>Safe Sexual Practices: Zika can be sexually transmitted, so practise safe sex or abstain if you or your partner has recently travelled to an area with Zika.</li></ul><h2>Public health response and advice</h2>Authorities have urged health facilities to screen pregnant women for Zika virus, intensify vector control activities, and report suspected cases promptly to prevent further transmission. The availability of testing facilities and timely reporting are crucial in managing and containing outbreaks. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111316992" title="Dengue in obese children is more likely to result in hospitalisation, study finds" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Staying informed and taking appropriate precautions remain the best defences against Zika virus transmission as efforts continue to contain its spread across affected regions in India.

Zika virus: How worried do you need to be about the mosquito-borne disease as cases rise in India?

Thiruvananthapuram, <keyword id="19896018" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kerala" source="keywords">Kerala</keyword>: In a move to empower school children, the <keyword id="22767948" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala-General-Education-Department" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Kerala General Education Department" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Kerala General Education Department">Kerala General Education Department</keyword> has added 'Fact-Checking' modules as part of new <keyword id="21870096" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICT-textbooks" source="keywords">ICT textbooks</keyword> for Classes 5 and 7, designed to help students recognize fake news and perform fact-checking on online platforms. The move by the Kerala government was implement even ahead of UK which reportedly is is planning to revise their primary curriculum by including this topic. Earlier in 2022, Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the technology arm of Kerala General <keyword id="19921999" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="education-department" source="keywords">Education Department</keyword>, had imparted Fake News prevention and awareness creation training for 19.72 lakh students of Grades 5 to 10, as part of the Digital Media Literacy programme. It was the first time in India that such a massive training was given to 9.48 Lakh Upper Primary students and 10.24 High school students with the help of 5920 trainers. The 2.5 hours of training which was titled 'Satyameve Jayathe' focused on four sections which included the 'Use of the Internet in day-to-day life', 'Social Media requires us', 'Rights and Wrongs in Social Media' and how to prevent the spread of fake news. The false information shared through digital media, the negative impact it creates on society and the verification of the authenticity of information were made part of the training through various 'Case Studies'. The training also focused on areas such as understanding the influence of digital media in information transactions, creating an urge towards knowing non-factual interference in digital media and how to react to them constructively, acquiring technical knowledge in understanding the truth behind transacted messages, developing skills to identify and react to glitches in information transaction through media literacy. It also includes specific areas such as the meaning and definition of Misinformation and Dis-Information and their impact on society, non-factual and misinterpreting information shared through digital media, the social impact of facts presented in an emotional language, authenticity of information etc. "The new ICT textbook includes chapters that equip students to identify fake news and malicious content, embodying the spirit of Satyameva Jayate", said K.AnvarSadath, CEO, of KITE. Next year, when the ICT textbooks for Classes 6, 8, and 9, and 10 are revised, they will incorporate the latest developments in this field. Not only does it teach students to identify fake news and verify its authenticity, but the chapter titled 'Let's Search the Internet' in the Class 5 ICT textbook also covers how to effectively manage screen time. Similarly, the Class 7 ICT textbook chapter titled 'Let's Search and Find' elaborates on the importance of verifying the authenticity of information and explains why spreading or sharing false information is a crime. Further, the ICT textbook also includes information about the precautions to be taken before sharing information with others, the need to educate those who provide such information about its potential consequences, and the concept of copyright. In the new (same) ICT textbook for Class 7, for the first time in the country, 4 lakh students have been given the opportunity to learn Artificial Intelligence (AI). Textbooks in Malayalam, English, Kannada and Tamil media are available at www.samagra.kite.kerala.gov.in.

Kerala government implements 'Fake News detection' in school textbooks

The <keyword id="19895344" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enforcement-Directorate" source="keywords">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> alleged Saturday that the CPI(M) in <keyword id="19896018" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala" source="keywords">Kerala</keyword> was holding proceeds of <keyword id="19899231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="money-laundering" source="keywords">money laundering</keyword>, as it attached a land parcel and <keyword id="20202062" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bank-deposits" source="keywords">bank deposits</keyword> worth Rs 73 lakh of the political party in a <keyword id="19913348" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="probe" source="keywords">probe</keyword> linked to the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank "scam". Assets worth Rs 28.65 crore of various individuals and entities linked to the case have also been attached by the federal agency after a provisional order under the <keyword id="19912399" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prevention-of-money-laundering-act" source="keywords">Prevention of Money Laundering Act</keyword> (PMLA) was issued. Official sources said the party may be nam<keyword id="19956083" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ED" source="keywords">ed</keyword> as an accused in the next supplementary chargesheet to be filed in this case. If so, it will be the second political party to be arraigned as accused in a money laundering investigation after the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP has recently been named by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case. The CPI(M) vehemently denied the charges of wrongdoing and money laundering. The attached assets include 18 immovable properties, valued at Rs 28.65 crore, consisting of lands and buildings in Kerala of the beneficiaries of the "scam", including an immovable property worth Rs 10 lakh registered in the name of a district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for a party office, the ED said in a statement. The attachment also includes eight movable properties, including a credit balance of Rs 63.62 lakh in eight "undisclosed" bank accounts of the CPI(M) local area committees in Thrissur, it added. The agency claimed that the CPI(M) received these funds from the beneficiaries as donations through the governing body and the party is "in possession of proceeds of crime" which has been invested in the purchase of immovable properties and credited to its five bank accounts in the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank Ltd. The bank is promoted by the party. The CPI(M) rejected the ED charges, saying it would legally and politically fight any move by the agency to arraign it in the case linked to the alleged multi-crore Karuvannur bank scam. Party state secretary M V Govindan alleged that the ED was trying to make opposition parties and their leaders accused in various cases due to political reasons. He also accused the central agency of attempting to create a smokescreen as it had failed to collect any evidence against the party. The ED believes that the land parcel attached by it was meant for the CPI(M) party office and was purchased using alleged kickbacks from the loanees or beneficiaries of the loans sanctioned by the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank. The agency has relied on the "confessional" statements of at least two accused in this case who claimed in their statements recorded before a judicial magistrate that the purported irregularities in the bank were orchestrated at the behest of CPI(M) Thrissur district committee leaders. The ED alleged that "bogus loans" were sanctioned by the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank on the same property multiple times without the knowledge of members of the society. "Investigation found benami loans were sanctioned to non-members against inflated property valuations in the names of other members and such loan funds were siphoned off and laundered by the accused beneficiaries," it said, adding that the loan amounts were disbursed in cash to avoid a money trail. "Such benami and illegal loans were sanctioned at the behest of the secretary and the governing body of the society in connivance with the then-bank manager, at the behest of the Thrissur district committee, CPI(M). "In return, the Thrissur district committee, CPI(M), collected money in the form of donations and salary cut from the beneficiaries and society committee members into their undisclosed and illegally opened bank accounts in the same society," the agency said. These funds, according to the ED, were utilised for the purchase of land worth Rs 10 lakh by the secretary of the Thrissur district committee of the CPI(M) for the construction of the party office, which has now been attached as proceeds of crime. Govindan said it has been a decades-long practice of registering the office and other assets of party units in the name of the respective district committees. What role does the party have in the office constructed by one of its local committees, he asked. But the ED is now trying to tarnish the image of the CPI(M) in the name of the assets of one such party unit, Govindan claimed. "We will fight it legally and politically. We haven't got any notice in this regard so far," he told reporters. The ED filed a chargesheet in this case against 55 accused entities in November last year. The money laundering case stems from 16 FIRs registered by the <keyword id="20086884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kerala-police" source="keywords">Kerala Police</keyword> (<keyword id="20146853" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crime-branch" source="keywords">Crime Branch</keyword>) in Thrissur in 2010. Four people have been arrested by the ED in this case so far.

After AAP, ED attaches land, bank deposits of CPI(M); says party holding proceeds of money laundering

Thiruvananthapuram, The <keyword id="260974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala-health-department" source="Orion">Kerala health department</keyword> issued a directive on Monday urging people to remain vigilant against the <keyword id="3155474" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zika-virus" source="Orion">Zika virus</keyword>. The directive was issued in response to the virus outbreak in the Thalassery area of the northern Kannur district. The department said that symptoms such as fever, headache, body pain, joint pain, and red eyes should be taken seriously. It urged the public to promptly inform healthcare workers if they notice these symptoms. "If Zika virus symptoms are observed in patients, healthcare providers must give them special attention," the statement said. The statement was issued after a high-level meeting chaired by Health Minister <keyword id="3296362" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Veena-George" source="Orion">Veena George</keyword> held here reviewed the Zika virus cases in Thalassery. Currently, eight Zika virus cases have been confirmed there. The department said if pregnant women are affected by the virus, there is a possibility of birth defects, such as microcephaly, in the unborn baby. Therefore, pregnant women in areas with reported cases of the disease should receive special monitoring, it said. The department directed doctors to conduct separate examinations for pregnant women affected by fever. It said the Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, but it can also be transmitted through blood donation and sexual contact. The department called for an intensification of activities related to mosquito breeding and fogging. They also directed schools, households, and institutions in Kannur district to observe dry days on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to prevent mosquito breeding.

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More transmissible, higher fatality rate: India records first case of fast-spreading Mpox strain Clade 1B in Kerala man

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Zika virus: How worried do you need to be about the mosquito-borne disease as cases rise in India?

BI India Bureau

Kerala government implements 'Fake News detection' in school textbooks

ANI

After AAP, ED attaches land, bank deposits of CPI(M); says party holding proceeds of money laundering

PTI

Zika virus: Kerala health department urges people to be vigilant

PTI

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