Though there has been a minuscule dip in the number of new Covid-19 cases as well as fatalities in the State on Friday, Kerala faces another threat in the form of Zika virus, a rare contagious disease hitherto unheard of in this part of the country.

The Department of Health has issued note of caution to all the 14 districts about possible Zika virus attack following the Pune-based National Virological Institute confirming late Thursday that 14 persons have been diagnosed with the disease. All cases were from Thiruvananthapuram, said Veena George, Minister of Health.

Meanwhile, on Friday, 13, 563 new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed across Kerala while 130 persons succumbed to the pandemic. The State had an average Test Positivity Rate of 10.4 per cent. George said 1.13 lakh patients were undergoing treatment in the State for Covid-19.

She also disclosed that if the people continue to be careful in observing the social distancing and hygiene norms stipulated by the Department of Health, the number of Covid-19 cases would start coming down in a couple of days.

 “The surge in the number of Covid-19 cases witnessed in the recent past were a fall out of the lifting of the lockdown in phases,” she said after a review meeting on Friday.

Teams from the department of health would tour the entire State to take stock of the situation arising out of the Zika virus attack, said the health minister. She also disclosed that the Government has drawn outa comprehensive action plan to take on the disease and aedes, the mosquitos causing the virus.

“The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in USA has said that Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects,” said Dr Madhu, a senior Government physician.

He also disclosed that as on date there was no vaccine available to treat the disease.  Aedes are mosquitos which are active during day time and the only option is to keep off from them.