Mumbai, July 17 : Amid 25 Zika virus cases reported in the state from January to July, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday appealed to the citizens not to panic but, at the same time, not to take any fever lightly and visit the nearest state-run hospital, where the best diagnosis and treatment is available free of cost. Of the total of 25 Zika virus cases reported, 21 patients have been found in Pune city alone.
The government has asked private medical professionals, who examine the Zika patients, to get the blood samples of the patients tested from the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The government’s appeal came days after Dr Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, issued an advisory to states in the wake of Zika cases in Maharashtra highlighting the need for maintaining a state of constant vigil. He has asked Maharashtra and other states to strengthen entomological surveillance and intensify vector control activities in residential areas, workplaces, schools, construction sites, institutions and health facilities.