Pune Doctor, Daughter Test Positive For Zika Virus; PMC Issues Safety Guidelines

Pune: A 46-year-old doctor and his teenage daughter in Maharashtra's Pune, have tested positive for Zika virus infection, but they are in stable health condition.

The doctor, a a resident of Erandwane area of the city, developed symptoms like fever and rashes, following which he was admitted to a private hospital. The medical facility sent his blood samples to the city-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for analysis. On June 21, his reports confirmed that he tested positive for Zika virus infection, a health official of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said.

"After he tested positive, the blood samples of his five family members were collected and sent for analysis, and it was found that his 15-year-old daughter was also positive for the infection," the official added.

After these two cases were reported in the city, the PMC's health department has started conducting surveillance, the official said.

The municipal authorities visited the area, conducted a comprehensive inspection, and issued an advisory urging citizens to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings to prevent any potential outbreak.

• Wear clothing that covers your body and apply mosquito repellent cream.
• Eliminate potential mosquito breeding spots such as broken cans, plant pots, tyres, and similar items by disposing of them promptly.
• Maintain cleanliness in your surroundings and regularly replace water in storage containers.
• Remove stagnant water from within the house, on the terrace, and around the premises to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases.

Although no other suspected cases have been found in the area, the authorities have started taking precautionary steps like fogging and fumigation to curb the breeding of mosquitoes, he said.

"The mosquito samples have been collected by the state health department. We have started the general public awareness in the area and given instructions to monitor the health of pregnant women in the area. Zika does not lead to serious complications in general, but in case a pregnant woman gets infected, it may cause microcephaly in the foetus," he said.

What is Zika Virus?

The Zika virus disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.

Zika Symptoms

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people infected with Zika virus do not develop symptoms. Among those who do, they typically start 3–14 days after infection, are generally mild including rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache, and usually last for 2–7 days. These symptoms are common to other arboviral and non-arboviral diseases; thus, the diagnosis of Zika virus infection requires laboratory confirmation.