As it is widely known by some that Zika virus comes from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, nobody could stop the infection spreading. Recent cases of the disease were discovered and confirmed in India.
According to First Post, the World Health Organization have released a report confirming 3 cases of Zika virus in India. It was said by a senior Health Ministry official that there are only 3 confirmed cases of the 50,000 tests conducted in the parts of Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad District and Gujarat State.
"The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has tested 34,233 human samples and 12,647 mosquito samples for the presence of Zika virus. Among those, close to 500 mosquitoes samples were collected from Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad district, in Gujarat, and were found negative for Zika,” the agency said in a statement. Rest assured, the Health ministry have shared guidelines and action plan regarding the Zika virus cases in India.
With that said, the three cases of the Zika virus in India was identified last May 15 through a routine blood surveillance that took place at the BJ Medical College in Ahmadabad, Gujarat's capital. The first two cases were found out last February and November last year, respectively. Meanwhile, the last case was detected last January this year. Since the three cases were reported, no updated cases were announced.
Furthermore, it was said that the infected patients with the Zika virus in India were a 64-year-old man, a 34-year-old mother and a 22-year-old pregnant woman. Symptoms of the virus were mentioned to be mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or a headache and body ache which lasts up to 2-7 days as Hindustan Times reported.
Nonetheless, it was also said that India provides a fertile climate for the mosquito carriers of Zika virus. The Zika virus was also defined to affect newborns through causing birth defects and neurological problems. Hence, as birth rate is eminent in the country, special care of preventing the virus spreading is advised. A potential outbreak may be witnessed by the residents as said by the publication.
