At least 88 cases of infection by the Zika virus have been reported in Maharashtra this year, The Hindu reported citing an unidentified senior health official from the state’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Program.
The program is run by the public health department.
The Zika virus is transmitted primarily by the Aedes species of mosquito, which bites during the day, according to the World Health Organization. Symptoms of infection include fever, rashes, headache and joint pain. The virus can also be transmitted sexually.
A total 73 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported from Pune city, six from Pune rural, two from Pimpri-Chinchwad, four from Ahmednagar and one each from Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur, the newspaper reported.
Of these, eight new patients were admitted to hospital on Wednesday. Seven are from Pune city and one is from Pune rural.
While infection by the Zika virus is largely non-fatal, it is associated with microcephaly (reduced head size) in babies born to women who contract the disease when pregnant.
On Wednesday, seven pregnant women tested positive for the virus. In all, 37 pregnant women have tested positive for the virus in Maharashtra this year, reported The Hindu.
Four patients who contracted the illness have died this year, but their deaths were attributed to other health conditions, an unidentified official from the Pune Municipal Corporation told ANI. They were between the ages of 68 and 78.
No deaths have been directly attributed to Zika virus infection in the country, an official in the Pune Municipal Corporation’s health department told ANI. However, they said that the department would send the reports of the four deceased patients to the state’s death audit committee for review.
“The death rate [due to Zika virus infection] is very negligible, so people do not need to panic,” The Hindu quoted a health department as saying. “In case of fever, immediately report to government hospitals where the best diagnosis and treatment for this disease is available at free of cost.”
The official added that private medical practitioners should send their patient’s samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing.
“Use mosquito nets while sleeping and use full-sleeved clothes during the day,” they said. “Do not create a breeding ground for mosquitoes under any circumstances.”
The first case of Zika virus infection in Pune this year was reported on June 20, reported ANI. The patient was a 46-year-old doctor. His 15-year-old daughter subsequently tested positive for the virus.
Also read: Inside Uttar Pradesh’s Zika outbreak: Can India’s most populous state contain the virus spread?
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