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22 children dead in Gujarat's Chandipura virus outbreak; 35 infections confirmed
Health teams are spraying pesticides in animal husbandry areas to control sandflies, which spread the virus, state health minister Praful Panseriya said.
As many as 22 children have died due to Chandipura virus (CHPV) in Gujarat this monsoon season, with 35 cases testing positive out of 184 suspected infections, state health minister Praful Panseriya said on Monday.
Seven patients remain under treatment across civil hospitals in Gandhinagar, Rajkot, and other districts, and government and private paediatric facilities have been instructed to immediately admit symptomatic patients to ICU beds to prevent organ failure, he said.
"A total of 184 suspected cases have been registered in the state so far, out of which 35 cases have tested positive and the results of 11 samples are still pending," Panseriya said.
Out of the cases reported so far, 22 children have died due to Chandipura virus, he said. All patients are under 15 years of age, he added.
Children under treatment, cases spread across districts
Children who are admitted to civil hospitals in Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha-Himmatnagar, Patan, Rajkot and Bhavnagar are being provided the best and super-specialist treatment and doctors are monitoring their condition, Panseriya said.
He further noted that cases are being reported from different areas and not concentrated in a particular village.
State steps up surveillance, treatment
Health teams are spraying pesticides in areas where animal husbandry is practised to target sandflies, which are responsible for spreading the encephalitis virus, he said.
Government and private paediatric facilities have been instructed to admit patients with symptoms of the virus to ICU beds with oxygen and ventilator facilities and not delay treatment so that serious conditions like multiple organ failure can be prevented, he said.
What is Chandipura virus?
Chandipura encephalitis is a viral disease that spreads mainly by sandflies and other insects and causes inflammation of the brain. The virus was first isolated from a patient from Chandipura village in Nagpur district of Maharashtra in 1965.
