Tejas Navale

Pune: In the backdrop of increasing infected patients with the Zika virus, the Union Health Ministry issued guidelines regarding it. 

The ministry has advised all states to take preventive measures and increase testing considering the increased threat of the virus.

Dr. Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, issued guidelines regarding it yesterday. The guidelines instructed states to advise health facilities or hospitals to identify a nodal officer to monitor and act to keep the premises Aedes mosquito-free.

The problem of Zika virus infection has become much more severe in Maharashtra, with a total of eight patients found in the state so far. Out of this, six patients were found in Pune, whereas each patient was found in Kolhapur and Sangamner. In Pune, two pregnant patients were found on July 1. After that, the health department of the state and the centre got into alert mode.

The government has also been directed to continuously monitor pregnant women infected with the Zika virus. Apart from appointing nodal officers to keep hospitals and health facilities mosquito-free, residential areas, schools, construction sites, and various institutions have been asked to keep them mosquito-free.

The government is also taking an overview of testing laboratories such as the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Delhi. The government is considering increasing the testing capacities in such institutes and making modern facilities available to these institutions to speed up the testing of this virus.

The Zika virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites. Notably, in most of the cases, there are no symptoms of this virus. However, if not taken care of properly, Zika can also trigger paralysis (Guillain-Barré syndrome) in some cases. Pregnant women are most vulnerable to this disease, which may cause subsequent birth defects such as abnormal brain size in the infant and a lack of the brain's overall development.

When present, symptoms of this virus are mild and last less than a week. They include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, headaches, and muscle pain. There is no vaccine or specific treatment. Instead, the focus is on relieving symptoms, which includes rest, rehydration, and acetaminophen for fever and pain.