Karnataka: What is Zika Virus? Know causes, symptoms and cure

Zika Virus: The symptoms were initially detected as Dengue, however, after she was shifted to the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences her blood and urine samples were sent to Pune laboratory.

Zika Virus: The Health Department is on high alert after the first case of Zika virus was reported in a five-year-old girl. The girl from Raichur district in north Karnataka was infected with fever on November 13, after which she was admitted to a Government Hospital in Sindhanur. The symptoms were initially detected as Dengue, however, after she was shifted to the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences her blood and urine samples were sent to Pune laboratory. There it was confirmed that the girl is infected with Zika Virus.

What is Zika Virus?

Zika virus is a variant of the virus family Flaviviridae and it spread through the bite of a daytime-active Aedes mosquito. The virus is linked with Guillain-Barre syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis. The first case of Zika virus was found in Kerala in 2020. According to the experts, the virus spreads even fasters in cold, cloudy weather and drizzles.  Most people infected with the virus show no sign or symptoms, while some have fever, rashes and muscle pain.

Symptoms of Zika Virus?

The person affected by the virus may suffer from symptoms such as fever, rashes, headache, joint pain, red eyes and muscle pain which can last for 2-7 days. So far, it is said that the disease spread through this virus is generally mild and severe cases requiring hospitalization and fatalities are rare. However, if infected during pregnancy the virus can cause serious birth defects and pregnancy problems.

The virus spreads through the bite of Aedes species of mosquito which usually bites during the day time. The disease can also spread through blood transmission and sexual contact. Zika virus is said to increase more alarmingly during the monsoons.

Zika Virus Cure:

So far there is no cure, treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus. The virus can only be confirmed by laboratory tests of blood or urine samples. Those infected and showing usual symptoms like rash, fever or body pain is treated with antipyretics or analgesics.

Transmission of Disease

According to scientists from the National Institute of Virology and ICMR in Pune, local transmission of disease has started and has been detected in several new states. These states includes Aligarh, Kanpur, Delhi, Amritsar, Pune, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram. After retrospective screening of Zika from May to October 2021,a total of 67 have tested positive for the virus out of 1250 samples.