With the amount being written about the Zika Virus these days, it is difficult to know whether we as Indians need to be worried and what precautions we should take. The danger for pregnant women and their unborn kids in places like Brazil is obviously very real, with some 4000 reported cases of microcephaly (underdevelopment of unborn children’s brains which causes marked small headedness).
The mosquitoes known to spread Zika thrive in India. It is also worrying that though the virus typically causes symptoms such as fever, rash, conjunctivitis and joint/muscle pain, it often has no palpable symptoms and may go undetected. Considering the fact that this virus spreads the same was as dengue and chikungunya, which are already a very significant threat here and given that WHO declared emergency over the “explosive” spread of the virus, how concerned should we be?
What the health ministry guidelines say
No cases have yet been reported in India but we need to start taking precautions with the temperatures set to rise and consequent proliferation of mosquitoes likely to result in a spike in vector borne diseases. People, particularly pregnant women are being warned not to travel to Zika affected countries, i.e. Latin America and the Caribbean. Authorities are telling Indians to cancel all nonessential travel to these parts of the world.
If one does have to travel to these areas, strict individual protective measures to prevent mosquito bites must be taken. Also if Indians have traveled to these countries in the recent past, it would be advisable to get tested. It has been found that the virus can live in urine, saliva and semen. It can live for a significant length of time and can be transmitted via intercourse as well. Any symptoms should be checked out. Meanwhile we should continue to do everything possible to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
Zika virus vaccine in India?
Currently one of the problems with the virus is that most of the world’s population has no natural immunity to Zika, because it has been confined to a narrow equatorial region since its discovery in the 1950s. So the medical community has concerned itself with developing a vaccine for the disease.
Indian biotechnology firm Bharat Biotech may be close to developing a vaccine for the Zika virus. With remarkable foresight, the biotech company had predicted the spread of Zika, because it spreads the same way as dengue and chikungunya said the MD of Bharat Biotech Ella Krishna. However the vaccine is still a long way away from being available to you and me. Possibly, years of R&D and testing still lie ahead. Meanwhile surveillance is being expanded in India; in a few months we will know whether the virus strain is circulating in the country or not.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
