PMC warns private hospital over delay in reporting Zika case 

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Health department on Wednesday issued a warning letter to Nobel Hospital, Hadapsar for delaying reporting a Zika Virus case at the hospital. Samples of a 47-year-old female undergoing treatment at the hospital had tested positive for Zika virus on June 1. However, the hospital informed the civic body three weeks after the case was reported, the officials said. 

As per PMC officials, the woman complained of symptoms like fever, joint pain, and headache. She was admitted to the hospital on May 31. Later her samples were sent for Tropical Fever Profile Test to a private laboratory. The private lab reports detected Zika virus and dengue virus in her blood serum on June 1. However, the hospital informed PMC about the case on June 22.  

Dr Kalpana Baliwant, health officer of PMC, said, “We have given a letter to Nobel Hospital and warned them to avoid such mistakes in future. The hospital is asked to inform PMC on priority if any patient is detected with any notifiable diseases or Zika virus infection. Delay in informing the PMC eventually leads to delay in surveillance and containment activities to prevent the spread of the diseases.”  

After the hospital informed the PMC about the Zika virus case the civic body started surveillance in the Mundhwa area. PMC sent samples of 13 people including the 47-year-old woman and her three family members and people living in the vicinity to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing of Zika infection. The samples of the 22-year-old son of the woman on Friday tested positive for Zika infection.  

Dr H K Sale, executive director, Noble Hospital, said, “The PMC has written a letter to us and per their directions, any case found in future will be informed to the civic body on priority. We regularly report notifiable diseases to the civic body as a priority. However, the case was reported immediately by us to PMC as a dengue-positive case. Zika virus is not in notifiable disease due to which the laboratory might have not informed the PMC.”