Cases of Zika virus are being reported in Pune, Maharashtra. At least 66 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in the city in the last two months. A senior health official told PTI that four patients have died, but the cause is not the infection. The virus is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to spread dengue and chikungunya infections. They usually bite their victims during the day.
66 cases and 4 deaths in Pune
“The 66 cases include four deaths, but these deaths were not due to Zika but the patients were suffering from other ailments… like cardiac problems, liver diseases, old age. Their reports came positive for the virus from NIV (National Institute of Virology),” a health department official said.
What is Zika virus?
A mosquito-borne virus, it was first identified in a rhesus macaque monkey in Uganda in 1947, followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s. It has spread throughout the world and is a recurrent infection. In pregnant women, Zika virus can cause microcephaly (a condition in which the head is significantly smaller due to abnormal development of the brain) in the fetus. “The PMC health department is monitoring. As a precaution, it is taking measures such as fumigation to prevent mosquito breeding,” the statement said.
What are the symptoms of Zika virus?
The World Health Organization has listed the symptoms of Zika virus. Most people infected with the virus do not develop any symptoms. In those who do, these usually become apparent 3 to 14 days after infection. Zika virus symptoms can appear as rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. These symptoms usually last for about two to seven days. Diagnosis of Zika virus requires laboratory confirmation.
