Pune: Between July and September this year, Pune city recorded 100 cases of Zika . Alarmingly, 43 of these patients were pregnant women , which set off concerns about the disease's known potential to cause birth defects . But on Wednesday, a PMC health department update stated that of the 43 women, 10 have now delivered perfectly healthy babies .
As for the remaining 33, their scans have shown no anomalies so far, officials said, adding that they expect these women to have normal deliveries too. The update brings major relief for PMC, which has struggled to contain vector-borne diseases this season. Pune's Zika count this year of 100 patients is the highest a Maharashtra district has ever recorded.
The Zika virus can pass to the foetus from an infected mother. And infection during pregnancy can trigger serious health problems, including miscarriages, stillbirths or babies born with severe birth defects. However, on Wednesday, civic officials said they haven't seen impact on the infection on the 10 recently-born children.
"We are happy to inform everyone that out of the 43 women who were confirmed with Zika infection, 10 have delivered healthy babies. The mothers are also healthy. The infection has not hampered the children's growth," said Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health officer with the PMC's health department.
Dr Dighe added: "Anomaly scans of the remaining 33 women also show normal growth. The PMC will continue to track these 33 women until their delivery." The risk of co.