The city has reported yet another case of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, taking the overall count to seven, civic officials said on Tuesday.
The latest case is of 45-year-old woman from Dahanukar Colony in Kothrud.
According to civic officials, the woman on June 26 complained of fever, joint pain, and rashes on skin following which she visited a private hospital for treatment.
The doctors at the hospital upon preliminary health checkup suspected it to be Zika virus infection and sent her samples for test at National Institute of Virology (NIV). The NIV on Tuesday subsequently confirmed the contraction of Zika virus.
“The total number of cases now stands at seven and reports of some samples are awaited,” said Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health officer, PMC.
PMC had reported the first Zika case on June 20 following which civic authorities began taking action. In the seven cases reported two are pregnant women from Erandwane area.
The Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya. A majority of those infected with Zika either remain asymptomatic (up to 80%) or show mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body aches, and joint pains. Zika virus in pregnant women can cause congenital microcephaly, Guillain-Barre syndrome and other neurological complications. The infection can also cause health conditions in newborn babies such as eye problems, hearing loss, and seizures.
