For the first time ever, the presence of the mosquito-borne Zika virus has been confirmed in Kerala. As many as 15 cases have been confirmed by the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Most of these cases are from within the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation limits.
Most of them are staff of a leading private hospital in the capital, and all of them have been discharged. However, the first confirmation of the presence of the Zika virus came from the serum sample of a 24-year-old pregnant woman that was sent to a private lab in Coimbatore. She was treated in a private hospital in Parassala, outside the Corporation limits. The lady had a normal delivery on July 7 and her child is fine.
Though Zika is non-fatal, it could be dangerous for pregnant women as they can pass on the virus to their infants causing deformities. Nonetheless, even this is still a conjecture. Studies have not been done to prove this. The newborn of the infected lady in Parassala has not been infected. She lives near the Tamil Nadu border and her mother is said to have demonstrated similar symptoms a week ago.
Health officials said Zika infection could be easily brought under control by adequate rest. In fact, there is no antiviral treatment or vaccine against the Zika virus at the moment. The best preventive method is to avoid mosquito bites during the daytime.
Thiruvananthapuram District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Shinu K S said the Health Department was yet to receive a written confirmation from Pune. "The information we now have had been passed over the phone," the DMO said.
He said it was academic curiosity that led to the detection of the Zika virus. "We tested all these suspected patients for Chikungunya and Dengue, as they showed typical symptoms, but the results were negative. But we wanted to make sure that the fever was not the result of any other kind of virus. It was these exploratory tests that led us to Zika," Dr Shinu said.
Usually, Zika is associated with neurological complications. But a top Health official said none of the cases detected in India had neurological complications. The Zika Virus is related to Dengue, Yellow Fever, West Nile Virus, and Japanese Encephalitis. It can also be mistaken for Dengue and Chikungunya.
The Health Department source said that in most cases, the Zika infection is asymptomatic. Those with symptoms usually get ill 3-12 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms include mild fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, and general malaise.
The illness is characterized by pink eye (inflammation of the conjunctiva), a skin rash with red spots on the face, neck, trunk, and upper arms which can spread to the palms or soles, and sensitivity to light. Some may also have a lack of appetite, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, constipation, and dizziness. Most people fully recover from the illness within seven days.
Here is what medical literature says about Zika: "Zika Virus infection is caused by the Zika Virus (ZIKV) belonging to the Flaviviridae family. The virus is primarily transmitted by infected daytime biting female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes which are typically active from dawn to dusk."
The viral infection, seen mostly in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, was first detected in India in 2017 when four people in North India were found infected. This was followed by minor outbreaks in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in 2018. There was also a minor outbreak in Tamil Nadu.
