2 Zika virus cases detected in Chattogram after 9 years

Two cases of the Zika virus have been detected in Chattogram after nine years, health officials confirmed. 

Bite-Sized: Zika Virus: Symptoms, Spread, and Prevention

The infections were identified during blood sample tests conducted at Epic Healthcare Lab, a private diagnostic centre in the city, on Sunday (6 July).

Both infected individuals — a 42-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman — showed symptoms consistent with Zika virus infection. 

According to lab findings, the male patient experienced fever, body aches, and a reddish skin rash, while the female patient had fever, swollen limbs, and joint pain.

"Initial indications of the Zika virus were found in blood samples at a private lab. However, the test used was a combined detection kit capable of identifying multiple viruses. Therefore, further confirmation tests are necessary," said Dr Mohammad Touhidul Anwar, deputy civil surgeon of Chattogram.

He said the matter has already been reported to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), which will guide the next steps. 

"The final diagnosis and public health response will be based on IEDCR's confirmation and instructions," added Anwar.

Earlier on 22 March 2016, then-state minister of health, Zahid Maleque, announced that a 67-year-old man had been diagnosed with Zika virus in Chattogram. 

No specific treatment yet

Doctors say there is currently no specific antiviral treatment for Zika. Care is mostly supportive and symptom-based. 

Infected individuals are advised to get adequate rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take fever and pain medications only under the supervision of a medical professional. 

In case of worsening conditions, hospitalisation in a government facility is recommended.

The Zika virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, the same vector responsible for dengue and chikungunya. Though often mild in most patients, the virus can pose significant health risks, particularly for pregnant women, as Zika infection during pregnancy has been linked to congenital disabilities such as microcephaly.

This marks the second time the Zika virus has been detected in Chattogram. Bangladesh confirmed its first Zika case in 2014, but such infections have remained rare and mostly isolated. 

Health authorities are now on alert to monitor any potential spread and prevent outbreaks.

Public health experts urge residents to remain vigilant and take standard precautions against mosquito bites, including using repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing, and eliminating standing water around their homes.

As the situation develops, health officials and the IEDCR are expected to provide further updates and guidelines in the coming days.

What is Zika virus?

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus first identified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey, followed by evidence of infection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, sporadic human infections were detected across Africa and Asia. However, since 2007, outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

Symptoms

Most people infected with the Zika virus do not develop symptoms. Among those who do, symptoms typically start 3–14 days after infection, are generally mild, and include rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. They usually last for 2–7 days. 

These symptoms are common to other arboviral and non-arboviral diseases; thus, the diagnosis of Zika virus infection requires laboratory confirmation.

Complications

Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of microcephaly and other congenital malformations in the infant, including limb contractures, high muscle tone, eye abnormalities and hearing loss. 

These clinical features are collectively referred to as congenital Zika syndrome.

The risk of congenital malformations following infection in pregnancy remains unknown; an estimated 5–15% of infants born to women infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy have evidence of Zika-related complications. 

Congenital malformations occur following both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection. Zika infection in pregnancy can also cause complications such as fetal loss, stillbirth and preterm birth.  

Zika virus infection can also cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuropathy and myelitis, particularly in adults and older children.

Research is ongoing to investigate the risk and effects of Zika virus infection on pregnancy outcomes, strategies for prevention and control, and effects of infection on other neurological disorders in children and adults.

Transmission

Zika virus is primarily transmitted by infected mosquitoes of the Aedes (Stegomyia) genus, mainly Aedes aegypti, in tropical and subtropical regions. Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day. These mosquitoes also transmit dengue, chikungunya and urban yellow fever.

Zika virus is also transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy, as well as through sexual contact, transfusion of blood and blood products, and possibly through organ transplantation.