Photo by Graham Colm
Blood samples
The Indian government waited months to report its first cases of Zika virus to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a statement from the agency.
The WHO said that, on May 15, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare-Government of India reported 3 laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in the Bapunagar area of the Ahmedabad district in Gujarat, India.
The first of these cases was originally discovered in November 2016, and the other 2 were discovered in January 2017 and February 2017, respectively.
Chief Secretary of Gujarat State J. N. Singh told The Times of India that “the government consciously did not go public with the cases.”
However, B.J. Medical College (BJMC), where the cases were discovered, reported them to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, which informed the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Union government “as per protocol,” according to Singh.
Soumya Swaminathan, director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, told Scroll.in that the discovery of Zika at BJMC prompted increased surveillance for the virus in Ahmedabad. However, because no additional cases of Zika were found, the government felt no need to inform the public.
The same Scroll.in article reported that Bapunagar residents are angry but not surprised the government did not inform the public of the Zika cases. In fact, there is a theory that the government failed to disclose the Zika cases out of fear that the news would disrupt the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, a conference for investors taking place in Gandhinagar.
However, the mayor of Ahmedabad, Gautam Shah, denied this, as well as any knowledge of the Zika cases prior to the WHO’s disclosure. And Shankar Chaudhary, Gujarat’s health minister, said the government complied with WHO guidelines on reporting Zika cases.
Case details
Singh told The Times of India that all 3 Zika patients “are well and have shown no complications till now.”
According to the WHO, the first Zika case was a 34-year-old female who delivered a “clinically well baby” at BJMC in Ahmedabad on November 9, 2016. She developed a low-grade fever after delivery while still in the hospital. She had no history of fever during pregnancy and no history of travel for the past 3 months.
The Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratory at BJMC found the patient was positive for Zika virus. Subsequent testing at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, confirmed this finding.
The second case of Zika virus was detected during antenatal clinic surveillance. Between January 6 and 12 of this year, 111 blood samples were collected in the antenatal clinic at BJMC.
One of these samples, from a 22-year-old pregnant female, tested positive for Zika. According to Singh, this patient also delivered a healthy baby.
The third case of Zika was detected via acute febrile illness surveillance. Between February 10 and 16 of this year, 93 blood samples were collected from patients treated for febrile illness treated at BJMC. And a 64-year-old male who had febrile illness for 8 days tested positive for Zika.
The WHO said these findings suggest low-level transmission of Zika virus, but new cases may occur in the future. The agency recommended strengthening surveillance in the area.
The WHO did not recommend any travel or trade restriction to India based on these Zika cases. And the agency noted that several steps have been taken to inform the public of the risk of Zika in India and prevent an outbreak in the country.
