November 27, 2024

Maharashtra: Zika case reported in Pune, 64-year-old woman detected with infection in Yerwada | Pune News

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PUNE: A 64-year-old woman residing in Pune’s Yerwada in Maharashtra has been detected with Zika virus infection.
Although she is stable now, the state has issued health advisories to all district collectors and civic bodies to start precautionary measures like destroying mosquito breeding spots and fumigation to prevent the spread.
In its letter the health department has also warned about the rising zika cases in neighbouring Karnataka state.
Senior state officials also said that it is likely that the woman got infected in Kerala where she had gone recently.
This is the first zika case this year in Pune.
Pratap Singh Sarnaikar, joint director, health department, said, “The 64-year-old woman from Yerawada tested positive for Zika. She first reported fever on November 5. Following this her blood sample was sent to the NIV on November 10 and on 11th her samples tested positive for Zika infection. It is likely that she contracted Zika when she went to Kerala on October 15. As of now her health is stable and we have also tested blood samples of five of her family members and we are awaiting results. However, as of now they have no symptoms.”
As per the NIV report, her serum sample and urine sample have tested RTPCR positive for Zika virus infection.
Her sample was referred to NIV by a private hospital in Pune.
Following the detection, the state government issued a letter on November 13 stating that the rising cases of Zika in neighboring Karnataka is worrying and so every civic body and district health officers must conduct fever surveillance in their respective areas.
Prevention methods for Zika similar to that of dengue and chikungunya must be used.
If fever persists for over a week, then the samples must be sent to Pune’s NIV for testing.
The other symptoms may include rashes on the body, conjunctivitis, pain in the joints, weakness and headache.
Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus).
Although Zika virus disease is generally mild, and severe disease requiring hospitalization and deaths are uncommon during pregnancy it can cause serious birth defects and is associated with other pregnancy problems.
Also in rare cases Zika may cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, an uncommon sickness of the nervous system in which a person’s own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes, paralysis.



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