Kerala's 1st Zika patient recovers, gives birth to healthy baby

Thiruvananthapuram:The 24 year old pregnant woman, who tested positive for Zika virus for the first time in Kerala, recovered within six days and gave birth to a healthy baby, according to KIMSHEALTH here on Friday late night.

"Through this, KIMSHEALTH has come to the forefront of detecting and treating Zika virus disease, which is a new occurrence in the state that is grappling with the Covid pandemic," Infectious Diseases Department Associate Consultant Dr. Muhammed Niyas said.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus in the state was identified when tests were carried out on the pregnant 24-year-old woman from Parassala who got admitted recently for delivery at KIMSHEALTH here.

The symptoms exhibited by the woman were fever, bloating of the body and redness of the eyes. She was immediately referred from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department to the Infectious Diseases Department of the hospital.

Although the Infectious Diseases Department conducted tests for chikungunya and dengue, both turned out to be negative.The blood sample was then sent to Coimbatore's Microbiological Lab for the Zika Virus PCR test. On the fourth day, the result came confirming Zika virus in the patient.

For a reconfirmation of the report, the sample was sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Since the patient did not suffer from other complications, she recovered within six days and gave birth to a healthy baby.

Infectious Diseases Department Senior Consultant Dr. Rajalakshmi Arjun and her team were in charge of the treatment.Aedes mosquitoes which transmit dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever are the cause of Zika, said Dr. Niyas.

Although Zika disease is not contagious, pregnant women need to extremely careful. The virus can be passed from a pregnant woman to her foetus and can cause infants to be born with congenital malformations, he added.

“Mosquito eradication should be given priority and pregnant women should protect themselves from mosquito bites through the use of mosquito nets and other means,” Dr. Niyas said.

Zika virus: Expert team arrived in Kerala today

Thiruvananthapuram A six-member expert team from the Centre arrived in Kerala on Saturday to assess the Zika virus situation and assist the State Health Department to contain the spread of the virus.

As the state reported 14 Zika virus positive cases till date, the State Health Department took several steps to control the spread of the disease, sources said.

A 6-member expert team from AIIMS arrived in Kerala to help the State Government in its efforts to stop further spread of the virus. 

Symptoms of Zika Virus

Zika virus infection was confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune where her sample was tested.Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.

Symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. Symptoms typically last for 2–7 days. Most people with Zika virus infection do not develop symptoms.

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome.Infection with Zika virus is also associated with other complications of pregnancy including preterm birth and miscarriage.(UNI)