Centre rushes three-member team to Maharashtra to contain Zika

The team will work with the state health department to see whether the action plan for Zika management is being implemented and recommend necessary public health interventions, according to a release from the health ministry

A three-member Central team has been rushed to Maharashtra to help in effective containment of the Zika case reported in Pune. The team consists of a health expert from regional director of Pune, a gynaecologist from lady Hardinge Medical College, and an entomologist (someone who studies insects) from National Institute of Malaria Research.

Aedes aegypti mosquito is known to carry the Zika virus. (File photo)

The team will work with the state health department to see whether the action plan for Zika management is being implemented and recommend necessary public health interventions, according to a release from the health ministry.

Zika is transmitted by the bite of aedes aegypti mosquito that also spreads dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile. Most people who get the infection report mild symptoms such as fever, malaise, joint pain, and rashes. However, in pregnant women, the infection can lead to microcephaly in the foetus, or an underdeveloped brain and head of the child.