Zika virus hits India

The initial three cases of Zika virus have been reported in India which included two pregnant women who delivered healthy babies.

On Sunday, it was reported by the Health Ministry officials that all of the three patients in the state of western Gujarat have been recovered. Top health ministry personnel Dr. Soumya Swaminathan assured, “There is no need to panic.”

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in a statement that the cases that were reported on May 15 by the country were identified through routine blood surveillance in a hospital located in Ahmadabad. Two cases were noticed back in February and November last year whereas; the third one was detected this year in January.

Swaminathan who also heads the Indian Council of Medical Research confirmed that all the three patients had not traveled abroad and were infected locally, reports CBC News.

The virus that is passed on through the daytime-active Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes can prove to be a possible risk to the 2.6 billion population that lives across Asia and Africa, depending on travel analysis, weather and mosquito patterns of those areas.

Most people affected by the virus do not get sick and those who do show only mild symptoms which proves that the surveillance systems might have missed many cases.

The virus is capable of causing severe birth defects in pregnant women. It can also cause severe complications in some people like microcephaly, a birth-defect where the heads of babies are abnormally small and brains do not develop properly, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder where body’s immune system attacks areas of peripheral nervous system.

The WHO confirmed that because of these three cases of the virus, it was evident that the virus now exists in the country. It mentioned, “These findings suggest low level transmission of Zika virus and new cases may occur in the future.”

WHO also warned that the virus can further spread and suggested the country’s government to take steps for controlling mosquitoes. However, as Hindu Business Line reported that the agency did not recommend any travel or trade restriction to India.