Since June, Pune City has reported 66 cases of Zika virus infection.

Pune:

A minimum of 66 instances of Zika virus infection has been documented in Pune city over the past two months, municipal authorities disclosed today.

Four of these patients passed away, however, the reason in each situation was not the Zika infection, a senior health official informed Press Trust of India.

The infected individuals also included 26 pregnant women but most of them are in good health, an official declaration stated.

The first instance of Zika virus infection in the city this year was reported on June 20 when a 46-year-old physician in the Erandwane area tested positive. Following that, his 15-year-old daughter also tested positive for the infection.

“The 66 instances include four deaths, but these fatalities were not due to Zika but underlying conditions the patients were experiencing….such as cardiovascular problems, liver conditions, old age. Their tests came back positive for the virus from the NIV (National Institute of Virology) after passing away,” the health department official explained.

These four patients were between the ages of 68 and 78.

Nevertheless, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s health department will forward their reports to the death review committee of the Maharashtra government, the official added.

“Up to now, no fatality due to Zika has been recorded in the nation,” he stated.

Zika virus in pregnant women may induce microcephaly (a condition in which the head is significantly smaller due to irregular brain development) in the fetus.

The virus is conveyed through the sting of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to convey dengue and chikungunya infections.

“The PMC health department is conducting surveillance. As a preventive measure, it is implementing actions such as fumigation to restrict the breeding of mosquitoes,” the declaration appended.