Pune: Doctor and his daughter test positive for Zika virus infection

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A 46-year-old doctor and his teenage daughter have tested positive for Zika virus infection in Maharashtra's Pune city, but their health condition is stable, an official told PTI on Wednesday.

According to PTI report, the man recently developed symptoms like fever and rashes, following which he was admitted to a private hospital. The medical facility sent his blood samples to the city-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for analysis.

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His reports confirmed that he tested positive for Zika virus infection on June 21, a health official of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said, reported PTI.

The doctor is a resident of the Erandwane area of the city, he said.

"After he tested positive, the blood samples of his five family members were collected and sent for analysis, and it was found that his 15-year-old daughter was also positive for the infection," the official told PTI.

According to the report, the Zika virus disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to transmit infections like dengue and chikungunya. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.

PMC's health department has reportedly started conducting surveillance after these two cases were reported in the city, the official said.

The official said the authorities have started taking precautionary steps like fogging and fumigation to curb the breeding of mosquitoes, although no other suspected cases have been found in the area, reported PTI.

"The mosquito samples have been collected by the state health department. We have started raising general public awareness in the area and given instructions to monitor the health of pregnant women in the area. Zika does not lead to serious complications in general, but in case a pregnant woman gets infected, it may cause microcephaly in the fetus," he said, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, in a recent development, the Pune civic body on Tuesday demolished an "unauthorised" structure inside a bar linked to alleged drug use on Tuesday, while police filed a case against its owners, a day after the Maharashtra government ordered a crackdown on buildings flouting rules in the city, reported news agency PTI.

According to a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) release, a 125-square-meter unauthorised structure inside Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3) bar on Fergusson College Road was razed as part of a drive launched against more than 20 establishments, including pubs, restaurants, and eateries, in the city for violating norms, reported PTI.

The action was undertaken after it came to light that some internal changes were made inside L3 in violation of norms, according to the release.

The pub was in the news after a viral video showed youths with some drugs-like substances at the facility.

(With inputs from PTI)