Zika virus spreading? Maharashtra reports first Zika virus case in Pune

Pune, Aug 2: Maharashtra has reported its first case of Zika virus in Pune after a 50-year-old woman tested positive for the infectious disease, putting authorities on alert.

The woman from Belsar village in Purandar tehsil of Pune, who contracted the Zika virus, has recovered completely. Apart from that, she and her family members are not showing any symptoms of the disease. In addition to that, the woman was also infected with Chikungunya. The woman received her test report confirming the infection on Friday.

 

 

“We request people not to panic. It’s due to the proactive work of the field teams that the case was detected. We are working hard to contain the spread and provide residents with the best healthcare services,” Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer of the Zilla Parishad, said.

 

Since the first week of July, several cases with fever were being reported in Belsar village. From the samples that we sent for testing, 21 people had Chikungunya, three had Dengue and one was reported positive for Zika and Chikungunya both. No specific treatment is required for this infection. Taking routine medicine for fever and hydrating helps in recovering from the virus.

 

 

Special health inspection teams have been appointed to survey patients with fever in seven villages in the 5km perimeter of Belsar village. As the village continued reporting fever cases, a special team from NIV Pu visited the Belsar and Parinche villages to collect 41 blood samples between July 27- July 29. Out of these samples, 21 tested positive for dengue and three for chikungunya. One sample was identified with the infection of the Zika virus on July 30.

 

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes which bite during the day. A person infected with this virus is most likely to experience mild symptoms like fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, or headache.

 

 

Zika is a moderate disease as 80 per cent of patients do not get any symptoms and the remaining 20 per cent have moderate flu-like symptoms, state surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate told PTI. One can recover by drinking enough water, taking rest and having a simple paracetamol tablet.

On the other hand, Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday informed that two more people in the state have been diagnosed with the Zika virus. She also informed that with this, a total of 63 people in the state have been diagnosed with the Zika virus.