With 12 new cases of Zika in Jaipur, the total number of patients infected with Zika virus in Rajasthan has gone up to 72.
According to Rajasthan health department, 60 out of the total 72 patients are stable after treatment. Most of these cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar area in Jaipur. Fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent the spread of the virus.
The state health department has also issued an advisory for pregnant women to not to visit the affected Shastri Nagar area. Zika infection can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which the newborn baby’s head is much smaller than normal.
Zika is transmitted by aedes aegypti mosquito and it can causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain.
In India, the first Zika outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in 2017 in January and the second episode was in Tamil Nadu in July last year. Fortunately, both these outbreaks were timely controlled through intensive surveillance and vector management.
According to WHO there is no treatment available for zika virus infection.