As the winter sets in Pune, doctors say there is no threat from Zika in the state

As the winter is setting in, doctors fell that the virus and the susceptibility to the infection may die down naturally

The Indian council of medical research (ICMR) has declared that Maharashtra has no need to worry about Zika virus even after cases were detected in Rajasthan and Gujarat last week.

So far this year , Rajasthan has seen more than 140 cases of Zika while not many have been detected in the state of Gujarat so far (FILE PHOTO)

As the winter is setting in, doctors fell that the virus and the susceptibility to the infection may die down naturally. Cold air reduces the susceptibility of this mosquito borne infection and makes the Aedes egypti mosquito less active.

“Now, we can safely say that there could be a lull in Maharashtra when it comes to mosquito-borne infections which includes dengue, chikugunya and zika,” said Dr RR Gangakhedkar, national director of epidemiology, ICMR. He heads 13 institutes in non communicable diseases in India.

“So far this year , Rajasthan has seen more than 140 cases of Zika while not many have been detected in the state of Gujarat so far. However looking at the rate of its spread and the season, we are sure it will not affect the people in Maharashtra as winter is setting in. There is nothing to panic about, especially for Maharashtra,” he said.

The state health department is still relying on the two-year old guidelines and protocols related to the Zika infection, which was circulated among city doctors in 2016 and has failed to inform or provide clear guidance related to Zika this year, said the world health organisation (WHO).

The state health officials have continued to claim to remain calm and has continued to stress about their preparedness about dealing with this mosquito borne infection. Dr Pradeep Awate, state epidemiologist has always stressed that there is nothing to worry about as Pune has seen the virus attacks before in 1960s and there is no direct threat to the population even if it reaches Maharashtra. “It will be well handled,” he had said.

Meanwhile there were doctors associations who started monitoring symptoms in people and especially pregnant women and monitoring the health of foetuses during the second and third trimester in their centres fearing Zika infection and they are continuing to do so. The doctors associations that planned their own set of protocols to watch out for Zika are Hospital Board of India and Gynecology Society of Pune city.