Confirming the infection Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar, said there was no need to worry or be concerned about the situation.
The Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya..(Supplied)
A five-year-old girl from the Raichur district has become Karnataka’s first confirmed case of Zika virus infection.
Five-year-old Pavithra from the Koli Camp village of the district tested positive for Zika virus recently, and was treated at VIMS Hospital in Ballari.
Confirming the infection, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Monday, 12 December, told reporters that the government was taking all necessary measures and there was no need to worry or be concerned about the situation.
“This is the first confirmed case in Karnataka. The case came to light when the serum sample was subjected to dengue and chikungunya tests,” said Sudhakar.
The minister said that as a norm, 10 percent of such samples are sent to Pune for testing for other mosquito-borne infections.
The Zika virus is a kind of flavivirus — the kind that also causes dengue and yellow fever, amount other mosquito-borne diseases.
It is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya.
According to officials from the Health Department, the symptoms are very similar to viral illnesses, including fever, joint pains, rash, and conjunctival suffusion.
“Symptoms can start to present usually about a week after the patient is bitten by an infected mosquito,” a Health Department official said.
Health officials visited Raichur. (Supplied)
According to Health Department officials, the girl was suffering from fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and rashes.
On 13 November, the five-year-old developed a high fever and was taken first to a government hospital in the Sindhanoor taluk.
“She was tested for dengue fever and was confirmed positive. She was then shifted to VIMS hospital. On suspicion, her samples were sent to Pune lab for testing where the reports came on 9 December confirming Zika virus infection in the child,” a doctor from VIMS told South First.
However, the doctor said the girl has now recovered completely and there is no reason to worry.
District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Surendra Babu confirmed to reporters that the girl had no travel history.
Meanwhile, the department has also tested samples of the girl’s parents, and they tested negative for the Zika virus.
The Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya. (Supplied)
The health department officials are said to have increased surveillance in Raichur and other nearby areas after the girl tested positive.
A separate team from Kolkata visited the camp and surveyed the village for any such cases.
“A separate advisory with guidelines on testing for the virus and surveillance measures will soon be released by the Health Department,” the doctor said.
Koli Camp is a small settlement area that has a population of about 150.
The Health Department officials who visited the village have now started the process of fogging to keep the mosquitoes under control there.
They are also conducting door-to-door surveillance to check on fever cases, and are also collecting blood samples from them to send for testing.
Sources said the department was also checking on the status of dengue and malaria cases over the last year in the region.
Officials said that there is no specific treatment for Zika virus infection. A treatment similar to the one for for dengue is prescribed for this disease.
Doctors said the Zika virus could be dangerous for pregnant women, and that they must take all precautionary measures to stay safe from the pathogen.
“Pregnant women [any trimester] should avoid travelling to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission, as it can lead to congenital defects like microcephaly and poor pregnancy outcomes,” said Dr Sanjana G, a gynaecologist and obstetrician from Bengaluru.
Since there is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus infections, the best way to prevent the disease is to protect oneself from mosquito bites.
The doctors have asked the people to
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