Maharashtra reports its first-ever case of Zika virus

Saakshi Bangera, DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics

Maharashtra’s first case of Zika virus has reported on Friday in a 50-year-old woman residing in the Purandar area of Pune. The health officials have confirmed that the woman has recovered, and at present, she and her family show no symptoms of the virus. The health officials also reported that the woman was also infected with Chikungunya, apart from the Zika virus. Authorities have advised people not to panic and to follow necessary precautions. The first case of the Zika virus prompted the state officials to prevent its spread and immediately rush the medical team to the village. The medical team met the members of the gram panchayat as well as the sarpanch and instructed them on the preventive measures that the villagers require to take. The health department also surveyed the village of Maharashtra.

According to the Maharashtra Health Department, numerous reports of fever in the Purandar area have registered from the beginning of July. Five blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology of Pune, out of which three tested positive for Chikungunya. From then onwards, an NIV team visited the Belasar and Parinche villages of Purandar to collect blood samples of 41 people. Out of these, one tested positive for Zika virus, three for Dengue, and 25 for Chikungunya. The Pune district administration implied that the case was detected due to the proactive field team and assured that they have been working hard to contain any spread.

Belsar village authorities have been instructed to provide the villagers with mosquito nets for the prevention of the virus. The infection is spread by the Aedes mosquito, which also spreads Dengue and Chikungunya. The Zika virus causing mosquito bites during the day. The infected person experiences mild symptoms like fever, rash, conjunctivitis, malaise, joint pain, and muscle pain. Symptoms of the infection generally last for 2-6 days. According to the World Health Organization, most people infected with the virus, do not develop symptoms. State surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate shares that Zika is a moderate disease with only 20% of infected people experiencing flu-like symptoms. An infected individual can recover by drinking enough water, taking paracetamol, and resting.

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Reference:

1. Maharashtra’s first ever zika virus case reported in pune district. (n.d.). NDTV.Com. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/maharashtra-reports-first-ever-case-of-zika-virus-from-pune-district-2499675

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About the author:

Saakshi is currently pursuing MSc Biotechnology from DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. She believes that she doesn’t have a specific area of interest yet. She wishes to explore toxicology and food biotechnology. She’s quite passionate about Biotechnology and aims to grab every opportunity she comes across.