WHO reports Zika outbreak in country

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

The World Health Organisation (WHO) today announced the Zika virus outbreak in India, reporting the first three laboratory confirmed cases of the disease, all from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

 The WHO, however, did not recommend any travel or trade restriction  and said the current evidence suggested low levels of transmission of the virus. It said cases could occur in future and advised India to remove breeding sites of Zika vector, the Aedes mosquito, besides reducing human-mosquito contact.

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WHO said on May 15, India’s health ministry reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad. All were detected during surveillance at BJ Medical College. The etiology  was confirmed through positive test and sequencing at India’s national reference laboratory, National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The first case involved a 64-year-old male whose sample was taken during an acute febrile illness surveillance at BJMC between February 10 and 16, 2016, when 93 blood samples in all were collected.  The second case features a 34-year-old female who delivered a healthy baby at BJMC on November 9, 2016. 

After delivery she developed low grade fever. A sample from her was negative for dengue but positive for Zika. The third case is of a 22-year-old pregnant woman whose sample was taken at BJMC during antenatal clinic surveillance between January 6 and 12 this year when 111 blood samples were collected.

A health ministry source when asked why the Government didn’t report these cases to WHO earlier said, “Under the International Health Regulation Treaty to which India is a signatory, member states are obliged to notify only those diseases which the WHO has classified as Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. Zika ceased to be one in November 2016. Our Zika cases were reported thereafter.” Since these cases, the ministry has tested over 30,000 human samples and 12,000 mosquito samples from the community. All are negative.

What is ZIka

• Zika is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which is also the vector for dengue
• People with Zika can have mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache; symptoms last for two to seven days
• Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly (birth defect) in babies delivered by infected mothers
• Can be prevented by preventing mosquito bites
• No vaccine or medicine available but Zika is usually mild and requires no specific treatment. Patients should get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and take common medicines
• 84 countries have evidence of Zika virus transmission

Why India delayed

• First confirmed Zika case was reported in Ahmedabad in Feb 2016, the second in Nov 2016, the third in Jan 2017
• India intimated WHO on May 15, 2017 despite being a signatory to International Health Treaty. It requires members to notify in 24 hours any event assessed as possibly constituting a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Zika was a PHEIC until last November 
• WHO asked India for Zika data after MoS Anupriya Patel informed Parliament