Zika Virus in Mumbai: India’s Financial Capital, Mumbai, has reported the first case of Zika Virus. According to a report by the Indian Express, identified patient is a 79-year-old resident of M-West ward that covers areas around Chembur.
Reportedly, the patient started experiencing symptoms, including fever, a stuffy nose, and cough from July 19. The patient has now recovered and was discharged on August 2. On contact tracing, no other positive patient has been identified, as per reports.
“The patient recovered and was discharged on August 2,” an official at the BMC’s health department said as quoted by several media outlets.
According to a report by Midday, the patient had diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease (also known as coronary heart disease), and thalassemia minor. He had also undergone an angioplasty 20 years ago. Reportedly, the case was brought to the attention of the BMC’s health department by the National Viral Institute in Pune.
What is Zika Virus?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Zika virus is transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite mostly during the day. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s.
Interestingly, in outbreaks over the last decade Zika virus infection was found to be associated with an increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome, the global health agency revealed.
To date, a total of 89 countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-transmitted Zika virus infection, as per WHO.
What are the symptoms of Zika Virus?
According to WHO, the symptoms of Zika Virus include:
- rash,
- fever,
- conjunctivitis,
- muscle and joint pain,
- malaise
- headache
According to the Global Health Agency, most people infected with Zika virus do not develop symptoms. Among those who do, they typically start 3–14 days after infection. The symptoms often last for 2-7 days.
As the symptoms are similar to other diseases, the diagnosis of Zika virus infection requires laboratory confirmation.
How Zika Virus is treated?
There is no specific treatment available for Zika virus infection or disease. According to WHO, People with symptoms such as rash, fever or joint pain should get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and treat symptoms with antipyretics and/or analgesics.