On Wednesday, BMC confirmed the first case of Zika Virus infection in the city of Mumbai. A 79-year old man, from the area of Chembur, was confirmed to have been infected by the virus.
Marked as the first case of infection from the virus, the man has recovered successfully. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that was first discovered in monkeys during 1947 in Uganda. Though it is the first case in Mumbai, Maharashtra has already reported fewer than 5 cases, including areas of Pune and Palghar. The patient from Palghar was a 7 year old girl from the area of Jhai Ashramshala.
The Mumbai Patient was Showing Symptoms of the Zika Virus since July 19
Source: Mid-Day
The patient from Mumbai had started showing symptoms of the Zika Virus, such as fever, persistent coughing, and a nasal congestion since July 19. According to the doctors, the other symptoms for the virus include rashes, body ache, mild fever, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.Â
The samples and the reports of the patient were sent to the National Institute of Virology. They had confirmed the man’s case to be the Zika infection. The man has been reported to have received symptomatic treatment from a private medical practitioner, being discharged from his case on August 2.
Though the patient recovered successfully, he was already suffering from multiple health ailments and had undergone angioplasty 20 years ago. He was tending to the management of his diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and thalassemia minor at the time of the Zika virus infection, according to sources from Mumbai.
BMC Takes Actions to Prevent the Spread of the Virus
Source: Hindustan Times
According to Dr. Sudhakar Shinde, additional municipal commissioner, the BMC health officials have already carried out the surveys of the households in the neighborhood of the person who was infected with the Zika Virus in Mumbai. There were no other cases of the virus, according to their reports.Â
Dr. Shinde mentioned that the disease from the virus is self-limiting and around 80% of the patients are asymptomatic. Only 1 in 4 of the diseased do develop the symptoms of the virus. They require to be hospitalized in rare cases with rare fatalities. There is no drug or vaccine yet available for the treatment of the virus. The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also known as the germ carrying mosquito for dengue and chikungunya.Â
Infections of the virus in women can lead to defects in the newborn, though. The first outbreak of the virus took place in 2007 in the pacific region. This outbreak was followed by outbreaks in Asia, France, Western Pacific region, Brazil, and France.
The health officials found a breeding ground of Aedes mosquitoes in the parking areas of the building where the Zika Virus patient from Mumbai stayed. Vector control measures were taken to remove the mosquitoes from the area and diminish any threats from the virus.
Source: NDTV
Though there was no spread of the disease after the Pune and Palgharcases, public health measures and health campaigns will be taken to keep the people updated. The health officials have made it clear that they will curb any threat from the virus and stop the spread of the mosquitoes.Â
Maharashtra’s first patient was found in July 2021 in Pune. Followed by it, another case was found in the next year. The third case appeared in the Nashik district of Pune–a 67 year old man was infected during that time.
Testing facilities for the Zika virus is available in the KEM hospital, which is civic-run, and the citizens would be encouraged to take any measures to prevent the spread of the disease, according to the health officials.
