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August 07, 2024 03:44 PM IST
The Zika virus is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to spread dengue and chikungunya.
Cases of Zika virus are being reported in Pune, Maharashtra. At least 66 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in the city in the last two months. A senior health official told PTI that four patients have died, but the cause is not the infection. The virus is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to spread dengue and chikungunya infections. They usually bite their victims during the day.
“These 66 cases also include four deaths. But these deaths were not due to Zika but the patients were suffering from other diseases… like cardiac problems, liver diseases, old age. After death, their reports from NIV (National Institute of Virology) came positive for the virus,” a health department official said.
What is Zika virus?
A mosquito-borne virus, it was first identified in rhesus macaque monkeys in Uganda in 1947, followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s. It has spread throughout the world and is a recurrent infection. In pregnant women, Zika virus can cause microcephaly (a condition in which the head is significantly smaller due to abnormal brain development) in the fetus. “The PMC health department is monitoring. As a precaution, it is taking measures such as fumigation to prevent mosquito breeding,” the statement said.
What are the symptoms of Zika virus?
The World Health Organization lists the following symptoms of Zika virus. Most people infected with the virus have no symptoms. Those who do develop symptoms usually develop 3 to 14 days after infection. It can manifest as rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. These symptoms usually last two to seven days. Diagnosis of Zika virus requires laboratory confirmation.
With inputs from PTI
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