Mumbai reports second Zika case; 15-year-old girl in hospital and stable: BMC

A second case of Zika virus has been found in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday. The first case was reported on August 23. The second patient is a 15-year-old girl from suburban Kurla in eastern Mumbai which is under the jurisdiction of the civic body’s L-ward, a BMC release said. The girl, who had other comorbidities, complained of fever and headache since August 20 and received treatment from a private hospital, the release said. She was on Tuesday shifted to a government hospital where her condition is stable, the corporation said. Zika virus is transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects in the child. There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika, which has symptoms like fever, rash, headache, joint pain, red eyes, and muscle pain. The BMC on August 23 declared that the first Zika case had been reported in the city after a 79-year-old man from Chembur contracted the viral infection. He completely recovered from it, BMC said. People should not panic as Zika infection is a “self-limiting disease”, the civic body said then. WHO has already declared Zika a public health emergency of international concern — a designation under international law that compels countries to report outbreaks. The move was part of an effort to determine if Zika was linked to reports in Brazil of the severe birth defect microcephaly and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Traditionally, Zika had only been thought to cause mild symptoms. The UN health agency maintained recommendations including that people exposed to the Zika virus should take preventive measures for six months to avoid sexual transmission.