Mumbai: The BMC confirmed Tuesday that the city has recorded a second case of the Zika virus in a 15-year-old girl from Kurla. The incident was reported on August 23 and involved a 79-year-old Chembur resident.
With two cases appearing in just over 15 days and both cases with no travel history, BMC plans to strengthen surveillance by conducting random sampling across all wards. It said it has stepped up mosquito control measures because the zika virus is transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes, which also transmit dengue and chikungunya.
With this case, the number of laboratory-confirmed Ebola virus in the state has reached 5 cases. A 15-year-old girl from Kurla, suffering from many other diseases, has had symptoms such as fever and headache since August 20.
She first sought treatment at a private hospital, where a PCR test revealed she was infected with the Ebola virus, said Dr Daksha Shah, medical director of BMC, reported TOI.
Sample Collected
The girl was transferred to Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday and placed in isolation. Doctors said her condition was stable. Dr. Shah said the purpose of random sampling is to detect any potential undetected cases in the community and understand the extent of the spread.
Samples collected during surveillance will be tested at KEM Hospital in Parel. BMC teams conducted an investigation around the 15-year-old girl’s house but found no cases, even suspicious cases in the vicinity.
However, the civil service urged people not to panic and stay vigilant. “Zika infection is a self-limiting disease,” the BMC said.
“About 80% of people infected with the virus have no symptoms. Those with comorbidities are at risk for serious infections that may require hospitalization.”
However, infections during pregnancy can cause some birth defects in the baby. Fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache are some of the common symptoms. There is currently no vaccine or drug to treat malaria. Regarding the first case, BMC confirmed the 79-year-old man from Chembur has made a full recovery.
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