In India, the Zika virus–which has no cure or vaccine–was first found in Pune 64 years ago, as part of a survey that was testing immunity to Japanese and Russian varieties of a virus-borne brain infection called encephalitis.
“On May 15, 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat,” says the WHO report dated May 26.
“These are old cases. They were confirmed in January. We shared the information with WHO then, and WHO has now decided to go public. These are not fresh cases,” said a Union health ministry official.
When contacted, Dr D T Mourya, Director, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, said the virus was first WHO confirms first three cases of Zika virus in India, all from Gujarat confirmed in one sample from Ahmedabad on January 4 this year, and two other cases were confirmed in the second week of January.
Speaking to The Sunday Express, J P Gupta, Commissioner of Health, Gujarat, said all three patients were now “Zika-free”, “leading normal lives” and “not under any medication”.
“The routine laboratory surveillance detected a laboratory-confirmed case of Zika virus disease through RT-PCR test at B J Medical College (BJMC), Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The etiology of this case has been further confirmed through a positive RT-PCR test and sequencing at the national reference laboratory, National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune on January 4, 2017… Two additional cases have then been identified through the Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) and the Antenatal Clinic (ANC) surveillance,” says the WHO report.
The cases were picked up during random monitoring and surveillance at the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The patients were a 64-year-old man, a 34-year-old new mother and a 22-year-old pregnant woman.
The first infection was detected in February last year, the second in November and the latest one this January. No new cases of the non-fatal disease have since been found.
Here’s all about the deadly virus:
What is Zika?
The virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same mosquito that transmits dengue and chikungunya.Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947.
In pregnant women, Zika can cause birth defects such as microcephaly - unusually small heads - and other brain abnormalities in babies in the womb. The infection can also cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes paralysis.
There is no treatment or vaccine for the Zika infection.
Symptoms
The virus can show symptoms such as mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache and body ache. But only about 20% of patients show symptoms that usually last up to a week.
Treatment
Zika virus disease is usually mild and requires no specific treatment. People sick with Zika virus should get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines. If symptoms worsen, they should seek medical care and advice. There is currently no vaccine available.
Prevention
Mosquito bites.
Protection against mosquito bites is a key measure to prevent Zika virus infection. This can be done by wearing clothes (preferably light-coloured) that cover as much of the body as possible; using physical barriers such as window screens or closing doors and windows; sleeping under mosquito nets; and using insect repellent containing DEET, IR3535 or icaridin according to the product label instructions. Special attention and help should be given to those who may not be able to protect themselves adequately, such as young children, the sick or elderly. Travellers and those living in affected areas should take the basic precautions described above to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
How can you avoid the virus?
Check mosquito breeding in and around your house. The mosquito that carries Zika virus - Aedes aegypti - breeds in fresh water so don’t let water collect in birdbaths, planters, non-used bottles, containers, discarded waste, tyres etc.
Use mosquito repellants such as creams, gels, electronic mosquito repellents, patches, incense sticks and bed nets. Grow plants that are known to repel mosquitoes such as citronella, basil, lemon grass, lavender, mint, rosemary etc.
Take special precautions during the day as Aedes aegypti is a day-biting mosquito and dress appropriately that covers most of the body parts.
Why India should fear Zika?
It is strongly suspected to cause birth defects and neurological problems in newborns and as birth rate is high in the country special care needs to be taken. Since India provides fertile climate for the aedes egypti mosquito to grow and multiply, there is the potential of an outbreak situation in the country.
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