Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A 28-year-old pregnant woman from Erandwane has been detected with Zika virus. The six-month pregnant woman shows no symptoms, said Dr Rajesh Dighe, Assistant Medical Officer of Health, Pune Municipal Corporation.
Zika virus infection in pregnant women, according to the US-based Centre for Disease Control, can cause microcephaly and birth defects in the baby’s brain.
Due to these significant risks, the health department has intensified surveillance in Erandwane and Mundhwa areas where other Zika cases were reported.
“We are monitoring the pregnant woman. She is also consulting her obstetrician and is due for an ultrasound exam. An ultrasound in the last week of May showed normal growth of the foetus,” Dr Dighe added.
The samples of three pregnant women in Erandwane were sent for testing of which two were negative. Another three samples have been sent and results are awaited. The pregnant woman detected with Zika lived near the index patient’s home.
The health officer said that anti larval measures are being taken and awareness campaigns are being stepped up to ensure that water is not accumulated in air conditioners and indoor water fountains.
Meanwhile, the health department has sent out a letter to private practitioners asking them to report cases of vector borne diseases to the civic body.
Similar instructions were given to private labs and diagnostics centres. PMC carries out special drives and surveillance in those areas to control and destroy mosquito breeding spots.
