News Excerpt:
The Union Health Ministry issued an advisory on 3rd July, urging all States to maintain vigilance after the recent Zika virus cases in Maharashtra.
More detail about news:
- States are encouraged to prioritize screening pregnant women for the Zika virus and monitor the fetal growth of those who test positive.
- In 2024 (till 2nd July), Maharashtra reported eight cases from Pune (6), Kolhapur (1) and Sangamner (1).
About Zika virus:
- Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus), which thrive in tropical areas.
- Researchers isolated the virus in 1947 from monkeys from the Zika forest in Uganda.
- The first human cases were detected in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania.
- Most infections in humans are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, including fever, rash, and joint pain.
- No vaccine is currently available.
- From Africa, the Zika virus has now spread to Asia, the Pacific islands, the Americas, and beyond.
- The Zika virus became notorious during the 2015-2018 outbreak that swept through the Americas.
- The outbreak was characterized by an alarming increase in the number of microcephaly cases in newborns.
- It prompted the World Health Organisation to declare it a public health emergency of international concern in early 2016.
- There have been multiple outbreaks in the last few years in multiple Indian states, including, more recently, in Kerala and Karnataka.
Epidemiology and Surveillance:
- Genomic studies have suggested that the Zika virus has two lineages: African and Asian.
- The Zika virus has an RNA genome, and thus a very high potential to accumulate mutations.
- As per the study, Zika virus infection can significantly increase the risk for severe dengue.
- Researchers found a large cohort of people in Nicaragua to have both Zika and Dengue virus one after the other.
- Although it is non-fatal, Zika poses a significant concern due to its association with microcephaly.
Zika and Microcephaly:
- Microcephaly is a condition resulting in smaller than expected head size in babies born to infected mothers.
- Not all but only a subset of the relevant pregnancies resulted in microcephaly.
- These findings underscore the importance of the viral load and Dengue Virus infections for the occurrence of microcephaly.
- Despite the known association between Zika and microcephaly, the Health Ministry reiterated that no cases of Zika-related microcephaly have been reported in India since 2016.
Health Advisory:
- The advisory highlighted the necessity for clinicians to closely monitor pregnant women affected by Zika due to its potential neurological impacts on the fetus.
- It also stressed the need to bolster entomological surveillance and enhance vector control efforts in residential areas, workplaces, schools, construction sites, institutions, and health facilities.
