The first case of Zika virus has been reported in Maharashtra. The Health Department of Maharashtra gave information about this on Saturday. The department said that the test report of a 50-year-old woman living in Belsar village of Purandar tehsil came out on Friday. According to the report, apart from Zika infection, she was also suffering from Chikungunya.
Giving information, the officials said that the matter has been found but people need not panic. The state health department said that the female patient found infected has fully recovered. He and his family members have no symptoms. The statement given to the press said that the samples of five patients were sent to NIV Pune on 16 July. Chikungunya was found in three of these samples. The NIV team visited Belsar and Parinche villages from July 27 to 29 and took blood samples of 41 suspected patients. Of these, chikungunya was found in 25, dengue in three and Zika virus in one.
Significantly, 63 cases of Zika virus have been reported in Kerala so far. On Saturday itself, two new cases of Zika virus were found. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that two more people, including a minor, were found infected with the Zika virus in Kerala on Saturday, taking the total number of infected in the state to 63. Appropriate instructions have also been given to the people for the prevention of Zika virus in the state.
According to the WHO, Zike virus disease is mainly caused by a virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.
The symptoms of Zika are similar to those of dengue and are generally mild. These include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, restlessness, or headache. Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms.
An increased risk of neurological risk is associated with Zika virus infection in adults and children, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy, and myelitis.
Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus, first detected in monkeys in Uganda in 1947. It was later identified in humans in Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have spread to Africa, America, Asia and the Pacific.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine for the Zika virus, and research on the Zika vaccine is ongoing. The United Nations health agency recommends people with symptoms get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and “treat pain and fever with common medications.”
The WHO says that Zika virus infection can be prevented only by avoiding mosquito bites. Special attention should be paid to preventing mosquito bites in pregnant women, women of reproductive age and young children.