Maharashtra’s First Zika Virus Patient Detected In Pune District

Sumit Singh

Pune, 31 July 2021: The first case of Zika virus patient in Maharashtra has been found in Purandar taluka in Pune district. The 50-year-old woman patient is stable now, health department officials have informed.

Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) CEO Ayush Prasad said, “Pune District administration requests people not to panic with regard to Zika virus. It’s due to the proactive work of the field teams that the case was detected. We are working very hard to contain the spread and make best healthcare available to our residents.”

The patient has been detected under Belsar Primary Health Centre (PHC). Belsar is a village in Purandar taluka with a population of about 3,500.

According to officials, fever patients were being reported from the beginning of July in the village. Samples of five patients were taken on 16th July and three of them were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune for testing. They were diagnosed with Chikungunya.

From 27th to 29th July, NIV team collected blood samples from about 41 suspected patients in Belsar. 25 of them have Chikungunya and three have Dengue.

According to the report, a 50-year-old woman from Belsar village was infected with the Zika virus on July 30, 2021. She is the first Zika patient found in Maharashtra. The patient was also found to be infected with Chikungunya

It is a mixed viral infection.

Today, State Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awate, State Entomologist Dr Mahendra Jagtap and other experts visited Belsar village and inspected the situation.

The Zika patient from Belsar village is now completely recovered and the woman has no symptoms and no one in her house has any symptoms.

The state level rapid response team inspected the situation in Belsar village and held an emergency meeting of Sarpanch and Gram Panchayat members, staff at Primary Health Centre Belsar and all medical officers and health workers from Purandar taluka.

The expert team informed about the action to be taken after the discovery of Zika patient. Following the finding of Zika patient, further action has been initiated immediately in Belsar village and its environs under the guidance of the State Rapid Response Team.

Fever Patient Survey – Zika Patient Survey of fever patients by conducting house-to-house visits in a total of seven surrounding villages within a radius of 5 km.

Insect Scientific Survey – Zika is a disease like Dengue and Chikungunya. It is spread by mosquitoes. Therefore, surveying the mosquito larvae density in the affected areas.

The concerned staff have been informed about the action to be taken and an entomology survey is being conducted.

Integrated Pest Management – To control mosquito breeding in affected areas, filling the puddle of water, flowing, releasing guppy fish in the right place as well.

Use of herbicides in home stored water, dusting the affected area. Action plans have been initiated.

Gram Panchayat Belsar has been asked to provide mosquito nets to seven infected patients and pregnant women.

Listing of pregnant women and conducting special survey of them, microcephaly in the area, and those concerned with the survey of congenital deaths have been notified.

To improve the water supply of Belsar village – Currently water in this village is supplied once in three days. Therefore, people store water.
Many houses have underground water tanks.
Orders have been issued to streamline water supply.

Sanitation campaign in the village

Health Education – Awareness is being spread through various means for the prevention and control of pestilence.

While enabling surveys for Zika and other insect-borne diseases, COVID surveys and vaccinations will not be overlooked, all concerned have been informed to take precautions.