Zika Virus Training for Pune Municipal Corporation Officials: Preparing to Combat the New Threat

As concerns about the Zika virus situation in the city continue to grow, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has stepped in to train 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 Erandwane.

Dr. Kalpana Baliwant, health officer of PMC, announced that training will take place on Wednesday with experts from NIV and the Public Health Department. The training will be conducted online and guidelines provided by the experts will be utilized for containment and management of Zika virus infection in the city.

NIV experts are expected to discuss Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent a Zika outbreak in the city and will also cover containment and surveillance activities. PMC officials mentioned that NIV scientists will train them in testing, clinical symptoms, case definitions, and sample collection to help combat this new threat.

During the training, NIV experts and state officials will issue guidelines to civic officials. These guidelines will be followed for ongoing containment and surveillance activities conducted after cases of Zika virus were reported. Over 9,000 people living in Erandwane and Mundhwa have been examined following these reports.