Health Ministry Ups Zika Vigilance After Maharashtra Cases

Citing eight cases that Maharashtra has recorded in recent weeks, the Union health ministry ordered states on Wednesday to step up surveillance for Zika virus infections and screen pregnant women for the disease in impacted areas.

The director-general of health services, Atul Goel, has also requested that states direct medical establishments serving patients from impacted areas or located in affected areas to track the growth of fetuses whose tests for Zika have come back positive.

Six cases in Pune, one in Kolhapur, and one in Sangamner had been reported by Maharashtra.

The Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito bites, which are also responsible for the spread of dengue and chikungunya. Zika infection is moderate, causing rash, fever, and inflammation of the eyes, but it has also been linked to microcephaly, or smaller heads, in kids born to pregnant women who have the virus.

Gujarat was the first state in India where Zika cases were reported in 2016. Since then, cases of the Zika virus have been reported in a number of states, including Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

No cases of Zika-associated microcephaly have been reported in India, the health ministry said on Wednesday, despite data from Brazil and other nations since 2015 suggesting that the virus can cause microcephaly in pregnant women.

However, the ministry has asked states to designate a nodal officer to oversee the removal of Aedes mosquitoes from all health facilities and to check pregnant women in any impacted cities or localities for the Zika virus.

In an effort to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and Zika spreading, the ministry has also asked states to step up mosquito surveillance and control in residential areas, places of employment, schools, and building sites.

Additionally, it has urged states to reduce community fear by disseminating messaging on social media and other channels, as the majority of the time, Zika either produces mild disease or no symptoms at all. States have been requested to notify the National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control, located in New Delhi, and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of any cases that are discovered.

According to a study conducted earlier this year by researchers in Brazil, individuals who have already contracted Zika are more likely to experience severe dengue and require hospitalization if they contract the dengue virus afterwards.

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