The Zika virus disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.
Six cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in Pune city, health officials said on Monday. They included two pregnant women.
The Zika virus was found in a 28-year-old pregnant woman from Erandwane area. She tested positive for it on Friday, while another woman who is 12 weeks pregnant was found to be infected today. According to an official, both are stable and asymptomatic.
When the mother is sick with Zika virus during pregnancy, it can cause microcephaly (a condition characterized by poor brain growth resulting in an abnormally small head) in the baby.
“The first case was detected from Erandwane and belonged to a 46 years old male doctor whose report came back positive followed by his fifteen years old daughter whose samples also tested positive. The last two patients are a twenty-two year old man and sixty- one year old female residing in Mundhwa”. He added that these mosquitoes can also transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses among others, apart from this one which originated from Uganda as early as nineteen forty seven.
