Pune: 66 Cases of Zika Virus infection found since June

At least 66 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported in Pune city in the last two months, civic officials said on Tuesday.

Four of these patients died, but the cause in each case was not the Zika infection, a senior health official told sources.

Those infected also included 26 pregnant women but most of them are in good health, an official statement said.

The first case of Zika virus infection in the city this year was reported on June 20 when a 46-year-old doctor in the Erandwane area tested positive.

Subsequently, his 15-year-old daughter too tested positive for the infection. 

The Pune Municipal Corporation's health department would, nonetheless, send their reports to the death audit committee of the Maharashtra government, the official added.

Zika virus in pregnant women may cause microcephaly (a condition in which the head is significantly smaller due to abnormal brain development) in the foetus.

The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which is also known to transmit dengue and chikungunya infections.