5-year-old Raichur girl tests positive for Zika virus, first case in Karnataka

A five-year-old girl from Karnataka's Raichur has tested positive for Zika virus, making it the first ever case from the state.

Published on: Dec 13, 2022, 13:08:02 IST

By Yamini C S

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Karnataka confirmed its first ever case of Zika virus after a five-year-old girl from Raichur tested positive. Her samples were tested in a laboratory in Pune. She has been advised to take precaution, news agency ANI reported.

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus caused by the Aedes mosquitos, which bite during the day. (Shutterstock)

Assuring that the situation is under control, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said, “This is the first case in the state and the government is monitoring the situation very carefully. Our department is well prepared to handle it.”

What is Zika virus?

According to the World Health organisation (WHO), the Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus, transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes, which mostly bite during day time.

People infected with the Zika virus show symptoms such as rashes, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, joint pain and headache, which usually last two to seven days.

The Zika virus has been making a comeback in the country, with a 67-year-old man testing positive for it last month. He was diagnosed with Zika in mid-November after he visited a hospital in Pune complaining of fever, cough, joint pain and fatigue. The man has had no complications since then and is currently in stable condition.

READ | 48 lakh children will receive JE vaccine from Dec 5: Karnataka Health Minister

Zika virus was also reported in Kerala last year, when a 24-year-old pregnant woman in her third trimester tested positive for it via an RT-PCR test. She was a resident of Trivandrum district. She later went on to deliver a healthy baby and was reportedly in good health. However, 13 people including hospital staff and other patients at the same hospital later tested positive for Zika.

Later in July 2021, 70 of 590 blood samples collected in Kerala also tested positive for the virus. Maharashtra also reported its first case of Zika in July-end of the same year.

READ | Pune reports first case of Zika

Zika was first identified in a Rhesus macaque monkey in Uganda in 1947, after which there have been several outbreaks in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

(With inputs from ANI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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