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4-year-old child’s death confirmed as Gujarat’s first due to Chandipura virus
The confirmation came on the day two more people died of suspected Chandipura virus in Gujarat, taking the toll from a potential outbreak to 14 in around two weeks
The death of a four-year-old child from Mota Kanthariya in Gujarat’s Aravalli has been confirmed as the state’s first due to the Chandipura virus, health minister Rushikesh Patel said on Wednesday. He said reports in this regard were received from Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV). The child died at a government hospital in Sabarkantha.
The confirmation came on the day two more people died of suspected Chandipura virus in Gujarat, taking the toll from a potential outbreak to 14 in around two weeks. The virus, initially reported in north Gujarat, appears to be spreading to new areas. A seven-year-old boy from Amraji Na Muvada village in Gandhinagar district’s Dehgam was admitted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Tuesday with symptoms consistent with Chandipura viral encephalitis. His samples have been sent to NIV.
Another suspected case emerged in Panchmahal, where a four-year-old girl from Bariya Faliyu in Godhra was admitted to SSG Hospital in Vadodara showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and convulsions often associated with the Chandipura virus, said officials.
A total of 26 suspected cases in the state have been reported so far. Most of these cases are under investigation and awaiting confirmation.
Chandipura virus causes fever, with symptoms similar to flu, and acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). The pathogen is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae. Over 18,000 people have been screened for symptoms so far. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies.
Patel said cases have been reported from Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Kheda, Mehsana, and Rajkot districts even as authorities have stepped up surveillance efforts. In a village in Gandhinagar, 60 houses were surveyed, but no new suspected cases were found.
The state health department was investigating the other cases to contain any potential spread and treat those affected.
