Is Zika virus lying dormant? First serosurvey to find out

PUNE: Is Zika virus lying dormant in Maharashtra? A soon-to-be conducted Zika virus antibody study or serosurvey will reveal the answer eight months after the first case of the virus was detected in Pune’s Belsar village on July 30, 2021.

Pune-based National Institute of Virology will conduct the survey with health officials in the state’s select urban and rural pockets to understand the dormant presence of the virus and the population’s vulnerability.

Not everyone exposed to the Zika virus develops illness, but the exposure triggers the virus-specific antibodies in blood. The serosurvey will draw blood samples of randomly selected citizens to assess their past exposure to the virus.

India's first Zika serosurvey was conducted in Bharuch (Gujarat) in 1954. The study had found 16% of the surveyed population with Zika antibodies, indicating their past exposure to the virus.

The mosquito that transmits the Zika virus — Aedes aegypti — also transmits dengue and chikungunya, widely seen during the monsoon and post-monsoon period in Maharashtra.

“There may be a possibility of the Zika virus (ZiV) being dormant in Maharashtra and waiting for the right opportunity to cause an epidemic. The survey will help assess this threat,” a senior official of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told TOI on Tuesday.

Confirming, state surveillance officer Pradip Awate said, “Yes, the Zika serosurvey is going to be conducted in certain pockets of the state soon. The ICMR-NIV experts will carry out the serosurvey with state health officials.”