Zika, the dreaded virus which had most of the world worried last year, had reached India in 2016 itself, and the first confirmed cases were reported from Ahmedabad, in Gujarat.
As reported earlier, Ahmedabad has reported the first confirmed cases of the Zika virus in India. In its latest disease outbreak news dated May 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed three cases of Zika virus from Ahmedabad, including a pregnant lady tested this January.
All the three cases had been confirmed by the Union Health Ministry's laboratories — first in January 2016, then in November 2016 and the last one in January 2017.
WHO said, “The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare-Government of India (MoHFW) reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad District, Gujarat, State, India.”
The WHO note said that a 34-year-old female delivered a clinically well baby at BJMC in Ahmedabad on November 9, 2016. During her hospital stay, she developed a low-grade fever after delivery. No history of fever during pregnancy and no history of travel for the past three months was reported. A sample from the patient was referred to the Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratory at the BJMC for dengue testing and thereafter found to be positive for Zika virus. She was discharged after one week (on November 16, 2016). The sample was re-confirmed as Zika virus positive by RT-PCR and sequencing at NIV, Pune.
Method of transmission:
- The Zika virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.
- According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a mother infected with the virus near the time of delivery can pass on the virus to a newborn baby at the time of birth. However, the CDC adds that such cases are rare. Additionally, the agency says that it is possible that the virus can be passed from mother to foetus during pregnancy and such a method of transmission is under investigation.
Symptoms:
- According to the CDC, about one in five people infected with the Zika virus will actually become ill. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Additionally, infected people who develop the disease may also suffer from muscle pain and headaches. The time between exposure to the virus and emergence of symptoms of the Zika virus disease is not known. The symptoms are similar to those of dengue and chikungunya — diseases spread through the same mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus.
- The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. Severe cases requiring hospitalisation are uncommon and the agency adds that deaths reported due to the disease are rare.
Treatment:
- Currently, no vaccines or specific medications are available to prevent or treat Zika infections according to the CDC. According to an article in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) from last year, an effective and safe Zika virus vaccine is probably 3-10 years away even with accelerated research.
- The CDC has cautioned people to not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen and naproxen. The agency has advised that Aspirin and NSAIDs should be avoided until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of hemorrhage
Zika and microcephaly:
- The Zika virus has been associated with cases of microcephaly — a congenital condition which leads to a shrunken head circumference and developmental problems in children.
- According to the JAMA article, Brazil has reported nearly 4,000 cases of suspected microcephaly in 2015, representing a 20-fold increase from 2010 through 2014. The article adds that evidence of the Zika virus has been found in the placenta and amniotic fluid of mothers and in the brains of foetuses or newborns. However, causation between Zika virus and microcephaly is not yet established.
What you must do if you are infected:
- The Zika virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites during the first week of infection, warns the CDC. An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people. In order to prevent further spread of the virus, infected individuals should avoid mosquito bites during the first week of illness.