Health dept issues Zika alert to medical officers
DEHRADUN: In wake of the Zika outbreak in Rajasthan, the state health department has issued an advisory to chief medical officers (CMO) of all districts to be on alert.
CMOS have been instructed to strengthen surveillance in their respective districts to identify cases of Zika.
“Zika is generally a mild and self-limiting disease. It is transmitted through the vector Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which is the same vector for dengue and chikungunya,” said the nodal officer of vector-borne diseases Pankaj Singh.
“No cases of Zika have been reported from the state to date but we are still taking the precautions. People travel so in case someone carries the virus from outside, we want to ensure that it is diagnosed and treated on time,” Singh said.
Singh said the rapid response teams in each district have already been given specific training regarding Zika prevention and control.
“In case any case of Zika is reported in the state, the teams are equipped to deal with the situation and take the necessary steps to ensure the disease does not spread,” he said.
Though Zika is generally categorized as a mild disease, it may cause some serious adverse effects in babies if the mother gets affected by it during pregnancy.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Zika can lead to microcephaly and Guillain-barre syndrome among newborns.
Symptoms of the disease include mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache, and they usually last for 2-7 days.
WHO guidelines say the disease requires no specific treatment. Patients are advised to drink fluids, rest and treat pain and fever with common medicines. “Zika is a self-limiting disease, which means it treats itself. However, patients should seek medical advice if diagnosed with it,” Singh said.