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

A five-year-old girl in Karnataka’s Raichur district was diagnosed with Zika virus, the first confirmed case of the virus in the southern state.

Making the announcement on Monday (December 12), state health minister K Sudhakar, however, urged residents not to panic and assured that the government is taking all steps to ensure that the disease is contained.

Also read: Zika virus: Is there cause for concern?

“We have got a lab report from Pune about the confirmed case of Zika virus. On December 5, it was processed and reported on December 8. Three specimens were sent out of which two were negative and one was positive, which is a five-year-old girl. We are keeping a vigil,” PTI quoted the minister as saying.

The minister, however, said that the girl had no travel history.

“This is the first confirmed case in Karnataka. It came to light when the serum was subjected to Dengue and Chikungunya tests. Usually 10 per cent of such samples are sent to Pune for test, out of which this has come across as positive,” Sudhakar said.

Cases of the virus have already been reported in Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this month a 67-year-old man was found infected with the virus in Maharashtra’s Pune. In July, a seven-year-old girl was found infected with the virus in Palghar district.

Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also responsible for diseases like dengue, chikungunya and urban yellow fever.

Also read: Health alarm: Scientists say Zika virus spreading fast across country

Symptoms of the disease include fever, conjunctivitis, rashes, muscle and joint pain, and headaches. The symptoms usually last for two to seven days.

There is no treatment for the disease whose symptoms can only be managed through medication.