After Jaipur and Ahmedabad, a team of experts has now reached the state of Madhya Pradesh to conform Zika cases. The team from the National Centre for Disease Control and the Emergency Medical Response has gone to the state following information about three persons being detected with the virus.
The virus is transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. The virus is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children. The symptoms are akin to that of dengue and it is a public health emergency.
Dr KK Aggarwal, president, HCFI, said: “Last year in May, the WHO confirmed the first three cases of laboratory-confirmed Zika virus infection in India from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. With other such similar cases, it seems Zika is now here to stay in India. A pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects such as microcephaly and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome. Other complications include pre-term birth and miscarriage. Pregnancy loss due to asymptomatic virus infection may be a common but under-recognised adverse outcome related to maternal virus infection.”
The virus infection is also a trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis, particularly in adults and older children. The incubation period is three to 14 days.