1st Zika Virus Case Of UP Recorded in Kanpur, IAF Officer Infected

A case of Zika virus infection has been recorded in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. A 57-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) officer is the state’s first case of Zika virus infection. As per media reports, the officer was down with fever and after his temperature remained high for several days, his sample was sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), which came out to be positive. After the confirmation, the samples of 200 people, who were either in close contact with the patient or displayed similar symptoms, were sent to the NIV. The area in Kanpur’s Pokharpur where the officer lives was also sanitised.

Although the first in Uttar Pradesh, this is not the first Zika virus case of India. On July 8 this year, a 24-year-old pregnant woman in Kerala’s Trivandrum was found to be infected with the virus. As per the World Health Organisation, she was India’s first case of Zika virus infection. On July 31, a 50-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Belsar was also found to be infected with the virus.

About Zika Virus

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The first case of zika virus was found in 1947 in a monkey in Uganda. The first human cases were confirmed five years later in Uganda and Tanzania. Since then the virus has been recorded across continents. It generally spreads with the bite of the Aedes mosquito, which generally bites during the day. This is the same pathogen that is responsible for the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.

How Is The Zika Virus Transmitted?

As you already know that the Aedes mosquito is primarily responsible for the spread of this contagion. However, it has other modes of transmission too, such as:

• From mother to newborn
• Through sexual intercourse
• Transfusion of blood and blood products
• Organ transplantation

Symptoms

Many infected with the Zika virus do not experience any symptoms and those who do generally have mild symptoms such as:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle and joint pain
• Rashes
• Conjunctivitis

These generally last from two to seven days.

Also read: Zika virus found in tears of mice: Study

Complications

The Zika virus can lead to the following complications:

• If a pregnant woman gets infected with the virus, it increases the chances of miscarriage, preterm birth, and stillbirth.
• The newborn gets susceptible to serious complications such as microcephaly and other congenital malformations. Microcephaly is a condition in which the baby’s head is much smaller than what it should be.
• In adults and children, as per the WHO, the virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy, and myelitis. A rare neurological disorder, Guillain-Barré syndrome results in the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking the parts of the body’s peripheral nervous system, which comprises the nerves situated outside the brain and the spine. A condition in which one or more nerves get damaged or dysfunctional, neuropathy is associated with numbness, tingling sensation, muscle weakness, and pain in the affected region. Myelitis is associated with inflammation in the spinal cord that affects the responses from the brain to the rest of the body.

Prevention And Treatment

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There is no treatment as yet for Zika virus infection. Also, there are no vaccines available for prevention. Hence, prevention is extremely important in the case of the Zika virus. Here are some tips that might help:

• Steps should be taken to prevent mosquito bites especially in the case of pregnant women and children.
• Wear clothes that properly cover your body.
• Close doors and windows to prevent the mosquitoes from entering your home
• Apply mosquito repellant
• Young women and children, if they sleep during the day, should sleep under mosquito nets.
• Since the Aedes mosquito breeds in small collections of water near homes, schools, and workplaces, these should be eliminated and cleaned appropriately.

If a person does get infected, he/she might experience mild symptoms that, according to the WHO, should be managed by:

• Getting plenty of rest
• Drinking lots of fluids
• Treating pain and fever with common drugs

In case the symptoms worsen, the patient should seek medical care. Also, the world health body recommends for pregnant women living in areas with Zika transmission or those who develop symptoms for the same to seek medical intervention through lab testing and clinical care.

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