2 Pregnant Women Test Positive For Zika Virus In Pune, Tally Rises To 6

Two pregnant women have tested positive for the Zika virus in Pune, bringing the total number of cases to six, confirmed an official on Monday. Both women reside in Erandwane, just 150 metres away from the residence of a doctor and his teenage daughter, who were the first to test positive for the infection.

Dr Kalpana Baliwant, health officer, PMC, stated, "Following the initial Zika case, we conducted inspections and collected samples from the affected area. On Saturday, two new cases were reported: one involving a pregnant woman from Erandwane and the other a 22-year-old man from Mundhwa. Among the 25 samples collected, 12 were from Erandwane, including seven from pregnant women, two of whom tested positive. 13 samples were from Mundhwa, with no reports of pregnant women testing positive."

"Pregnant women infected with Zika are vulnerable, so we are conducting anomaly scans for them and increasing surveillance in both affected areas," she added.

Zika virus disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also spreads infections such as dengue and chikungunya. The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947.