Karnataka health department on high alert mode after Zika virus detected in Chikkaballapur | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: Karnataka health department is on high alert mode after Zika virus was detected in a mosquito in Chikkaballapur district.
The virus was found in a sample taken from Talakayalabetta village in Sidlaghatta Taluk.
Zika virus is transmitted by the aedes mosquito.
Symptoms of Zika virus infection include rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache that last for two–seven days.
However, most people who get infected do not develop symptoms.
Zika infection can cause a variety of health problems including birth defects, neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases, Dr Swati Rajagopal — consultant, infectious diseases and travel medicine at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru — told TOI.
“Pregnant women are at high risk of getting infected and infection during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and birth defects,” she explained.
Zika virus infection during pregnancy, according to the World Health Organization, can cause “infants to be born with microcephaly and other congenital malformations.”
Microcephaly is a condition wherein the baby’s brain growth slows down or stops in the womb.
The infection is also associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause muscle weakness and paralysis.
Experts say that the rapidly changing climate has contributed to the spread of vector-borne diseases across the globe.
Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for Zika virus infection, says Dr Rajagopal.