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

PTI, Sep 5, 2023, 8:34 PM IST

Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits Zika virus (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Mumbai: 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.