Zika Virus Alert In Pune: Two Infected-Patients Report Co-infections Of Chikungunya And Dengue

Two Zika virus infected patients from Pune also reported a co-infection of dengue and chikungunya amidst surge in cases.

Zika virus in Pune: Pune city is battling a surge in Zika virus infections. As per recent reports, they have recorded a total of 6 cases in Pune and 2 others from other districts of Maharashtra. But, in a shocking turn of events, two of the Zika-infected patients from Pune also reported a co-infection of chikungunya and dengue. An official from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) told the media that, a patient who had been infected with Zika also tested positive for chikungunya IgM antibodies indicating a co-infection. Pune city is a hotspot for vector-borne diseases and among them the most prevalent are dengue, chikungunya and Zika. During monsoon season, the risks of these infections are also high. The first possible scenario of transmission is if one mosquito can carry and spread multiple viruses. The second possible scenario is when one person gets bitten by multiple mosquitoes carrying different infections. Therefore, a co-infection is not entirely out of the blue however, its severity can be debatable.

What Is A Co-infection?

A co-infection is easy to explain in common terms, it is when a person gets infected with two viruses at the same time. The sources of these viruses may not may not be the same. In medical terms a co-infection is best described as, "the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple pathogen species like multiple parasite infections." Co-infection can also happen as the simultaneous infection of one single cell by more than one virus particle. It may start as an initial infection followed by a superinfection.