Health dept issues Zika alert to medical officers
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.