Zika virus: Centre rushes high-level team to Maharashtra

A case of Zika virus has been reported in Pune district recently, the health ministry said

Days after Maharashtra reported a case of Zika virus, the Centre on Monday sent a multidisciplinary team to the state to monitor the situation and support the state government in the management of cases.

On Saturday, a 50-year-old woman from Purandar tehsil in Pune district had tested positive for the Zika virus, putting the health authorities on a high alert.

The three-member central team consists of a public health expert from the office of Regional Director, Pune; a gynaecologist from Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi; and an entomologist from National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), ICMR, New Delhi, a Health Ministry statement said.

Also read: Maharashtra reports its first case of Zika virus

The team shall work closely with the state health department, take stock of the situation on the ground and assess whether the Union Health Ministry's action plan for Zika management is being implemented.

It will also recommend necessary public health interventions for the management of Zika virus cases in the state, the statement said.

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes which bite during the day. A person infected with this virus is most likely to experience mild symptoms like fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, or headache.

Zika is a moderate disease as 80% of patients do not get any symptoms and the remaining 20% have moderate flu-like symptoms.

The World Health Organization states that the Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations known as congenital Zika syndrome.