India lacks diagnostic tests for emerging infectious diseases

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

A recent case of Zika virus infection in Pune has renewed concerns about India’s preparedness for diagnosing emerging infectious diseases.

More on news:

This is not the first time Zika has been identified in India.
Cases have been identified from multiple States in India in the past, with larger outbreaks occurring in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh as recently as 2021.

About Zika Virus:

Zika is a viral infection,which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue and chikungunya.
Zika virus is a mosquito-borne pathogen belonging to the flavivirus family of viruses which also includes dengue.
It is a contagious disease where infected people can transmit Zika virus sexually.
The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is estimated to be 3-14 days.
It was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys, Zika was detected in humans five years later.
In India, Zika virus was first recorded in 1952-53. The latest major outbreak was in 2018, when 80 cases were reported in Rajasthan.
It results into microcephaly, especially when pregnant women are infected.
Clinical symptoms of Zika infection in many cases could be mild and indistinguishable from other infectious diseases including dengue.
For pregnant women, the Zika virus poses a significant risk as it can be transmitted from mother to child, potentially leading to microcephaly in the offspring.

India’s preparedness towards Zika other infectious diseases:

India’s lack of significant Zika surveillance means we might never fully understand its spread.
In March 2023, CDSCO, India’s apex organization for diagnostic approvals, confirmed that there is no approved diagnostic test for Zika.
A case of avian influenza A/H5N1 was recently reported from Australia in a child who had traveled to India, hinting at more undetected infections.
India has experienced several Nipah virus outbreaks, notably in West Bengal (2001 and 2007) and Kerala (2018, 2021, and 2023).
Some cases of Nipah were indeed missed during initial admissions due to the lack of routine testing, largely because the diagnostic facilities are not readily available

About GISAID:

GISAID, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, previously the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, is a global science initiative established in 2008 to provide access to genomic data of influenza viruses.

About Nipah Virus:

Nipah virus infection in humans causes a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis.
The case fatality rate is estimated at 40% to 75%. This rate can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management.
Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.

About Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/H5N1:

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/H5N1) is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes influenza (flu), predominantly in birds. It is enzootic (maintained in the population) in many bird populations, and also panzootic (affecting animals of many species over a wide area).