Lagatar24 Desk
Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has reported the deaths of two patients infected with the Zika virus. The samples of these patients, received posthumously on Thursday, tested positive for the infection.
The deceased include a 68-year-old man from Kothrud and a 78-year-old man from Baner, both of whom were receiving treatment at private hospitals. The ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed the presence of the virus in their samples.
Dr. Suryakant Deokar, Assistant Health Officer of PMC, stated that the 68-year-old man was admitted to Sanjeevan Hospital on July 19 and died on July 22. He had symptoms such as fever and vomiting, and his samples, sent to NIV on July 17, confirmed Zika infection on July 31. The cause of death was reported as septic shock with multi-organ failure, and he had a history of hypertension and diabetes.
The 78-year-old man from Baner was admitted to AIMS Hospital on July 21 and died on July 26. He experienced fever and weakness starting July 19. His samples, sent to NIV on July 21, tested positive for Zika on July 30. His cause of death was acute respiratory arrest, with underlying hypertension and diabetes.
In addition to these cases, PMC reported five new Zika virus cases, including two deceased and two pregnant women. Among the new cases is a 27-year-old pregnant woman from Manikbaug, who is 21 weeks pregnant. She exhibited symptoms like fever and rash since July 23 and tested positive on July 30. Her anomaly scan reports are normal.
Another case involves a 31-year-old pregnant woman from Senapati Bapat Road, who is 29 weeks pregnant. She tested positive for Zika on Thursday, with symptoms including a rash. Her anomaly scan reports are also normal.
Additionally, a 72-year-old man from Kharadi has tested positive, bringing the total number of Zika cases in Pune to 52. On Friday, PMC sent 32 samples of suspected patients to NIV for testing, 27 of which are from expecting mothers.
Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya. Most people infected with Zika either remain asymptomatic or exhibit mild symptoms such as fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body aches, and joint pains. However, Zika can cause serious complications in pregnant women, including congenital microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
PMC officials urge the public to take preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites and seek medical attention if symptoms arise. The health department remains on high alert to control the spread of the virus and safeguard the community.
