As the Zika virus situation in the city continues to grow, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune has been tasked with training health officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). In June, PMC reported five cases of Zika virus infection, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman from Erandwan.
To address this new menace, NIV experts will conduct an online training session for PMC health staff on Wednesday. The training will cover standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent Zika virus outbreaks in the city and also discuss containment and surveillance activities. During the session, NIV scientists will provide guidance on testing, clinical symptoms, case definitions and sample collection to help officials fight the virus.
According to Dr Rajesh Dighe, Assistant Health Officer at PMC, NIV experts and state officials will issue instructions to civil servants following the training. These guidelines will be followed for ongoing containment and surveillance activities conducted after Zika virus cases are reported. Over 9,000 people living in Erandwane and Mundhvi were screened following cases reported from the area.