Maharashtra: Woman detected with Zika virus in Pune; number of cases rises to 7

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A woman has been detected with Zika virus in Pune district of Maharashtra, taking the number of cases to seven, health officials said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.

The city had on Monday reported six cases of the infection, and two of the patients were pregnant women.

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According to the PTI, in the latest case, a 55-year-old woman from Dahanukar colony in Kothrud developed rashes and suffered from joint pains. Her reports came positive for Zika virus on Monday, an official from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said.

The woman's health is good, and there was no need for hospitalisation, the official said.

Two pregnant women aged 28 and 35 are among seven cases in the city.

Zika virus in pregnant women may cause microcephaly (a condition in which the head is significantly smaller due to abnormal brain development) in the foetus.

The first case of Zika virus was reported at Erandwane, where a 46-year-old doctor's report came back positive. His 15-year-old daughter also tested positive for the infection, officials said.

Zika virus gets transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya.

The Pune Municipal Corporation's health department is conducting surveillance. As a precautionary measure, it is undertaking fogging and fumigation to curb the breeding of mosquitoes, they said.

Zika virus majorly asymptomatic, can resemble dengue fever: Experts

Zika virus that recently infected five people in Maharashtra's Pune is majorly asymptomatic, but can resemble dengue fever, said health experts on Monday, an IANS report stated.

According to the news agency's report, Zika virus disease (ZVD) is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the mosquito which also transmits dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.

Common symptoms include mild fever, rashes, headache, muscle and joint pain, and inflammation of the underside of the eyelid, which normally lasts for 2-7 days.

"Around 80 per cent of cases are estimated to be asymptomatic, though the accuracy of this figure is hindered by the wide variance in data quality," Dr. Suruchi Mandrekar, Consultant Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Pune, told IANS.

On the other hand, "symptomatic cases are usually mild and can resemble dengue fever, and may include fever, red eyes, joint pain, headache, and a maculopapular rash," the doctor said.

(with PTI inputs)