In Rajasthan, the number of Zika virus cases has been on the rise and the Union Health Ministry has initiated surveillance and control measure to take care of the situation. According to a report shared by the health ministry, 29 people have been diagnosed with the virus in Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan.
Monitoring of #Zika Virus Disease cases in #Rajasthanhttps://t.co/LukIbPJ4Un#SwasthaBharat
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) October 8, 2018
The Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Veenu Gupta confirmed 29 positive Zika cases in Rajasthan that include three pregnant women. She said, “there are a total of 29 positive cases so far. 150-200 teams are conducting a combating operation. 26,000 houses have been surveyed. All cases of fever have been listed. If there is a need to collect samples, we are collecting that on a large scale.”
The Bihar government has also issued advisories to the district health authorities to monitor any cases basis the symptoms that seem like that of Zika virus after a man hailing from Siwan has been diagnosed with the virus. He is studying in Jaipur and was in Siwan from August 28 to September 12 to give an exam.
Zika virus symptoms
Zika virus is a disease which is transmitted by the Aedes mosquitos. According to WHO, India is in category 2 of the virus in terms of its prevalence. The common symptoms of the disease are similar to those of a viral infection including fever, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, conjunctivitis, headache, or malaise. The symptoms of the virus last for an average of 2 to 7 days.
Zika virus transmission
The virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes from Aedes, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. These mosquitoes typically bite during the day, early morning or late afternoon/evening. The same mosquitoes cause this virus as dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Other ways of transmission of the disease are during pregnancy from mother to fetus, sexual contact, transfusion of blood, and organ transplantation.
Zika virus treatment
Till now, there is no treatment found for the virus. The ways to cure the disease are drinking plenty of fluids, resting properly, and taking common medicines for pain and fever. However, if nothing helps, and the virus worsens, immediate medical help could be needed.