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Centre deploys response team to Gujarat, Rajasthan amid Chandipura virus cases
The Centre has also stepped up disease surveillance, scientific investigations and testing in the affected districts to better understand and contain Chandipura Virus Disease outbreak
The Union health ministry on Wednesday deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan to strengthen the response to the ongoing Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) outbreak, which has claimed lives of at least 22 children in Gujarat, this monsoon. The Centre has also stepped up disease surveillance, scientific investigations and testing in the affected districts to better understand and contain the outbreak, the ministry said in a statement.
Chandipura virus is an emerging arbovirus transmitted primarily by sandflies and is associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), mainly among children under 15 years.
“The Union ministry of health and family welfare has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan to strengthen the response to the ongoing Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) outbreak. The deployment comes against the backdrop of sustained and intensified scientific investigations by a nationwide network of premier research institutions…,” the ministry said.
The multidisciplinary team, comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), will support the two states in outbreak investigation, epidemiological assessment, clinical management, laboratory coordination, vector surveillance and public health measures.
The ministry said disease surveillance is continuing under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), coordinated by the NCDC in collaboration with state surveillance units.
“These coordinated efforts aim to advance the understanding of the virus, including its transmission dynamics, clinical spectrum, epidemiology and potential treatment approaches, while guiding evidence-based public health interventions. The NCDC Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) has also been activated to support the NJORT,” it added.
The deployment comes as scientific investigations are already underway into Chandipura virus in recent years. Active surveillance has been intensified among patients with acute febrile illness (AFI) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in affected districts. Community-based serosurveys are also being conducted to identify asymptomatic infections and assess the extent of virus transmission, along with mandatory testing of fever patients in the affected districts, the ministry said.
A key focus of the investigation is to unravel the virus transmission cycle. While sandflies are the established vectors of Chandipura virus, scientists are also examining whether other arthropods, including mosquitoes, ticks and mites, may have a role in transmission, the statement added.
Large numbers of vector samples collected from affected areas are being analysed, and officials aware of the matter said it is too early to identify the vector responsible for the current outbreak.
Animal surveillance has also been expanded to determine whether the virus is circulating among domestic animals that could act as reservoirs. Blood samples from cattle, buffaloes and goats, along with milk samples, have been collected for testing. Around 70 animal blood samples are currently being analysed, and the ministry said no conclusions can be drawn until laboratory investigations are completed.
“The ongoing investigations are also drawing upon lessons from the 2024 Chandipura virus outbreak in Gujarat. During that outbreak, several vector species, including sandflies, were collected and tested, but all samples were negative for CHPV, and no specific vector could be conclusively implicated,” the ministry said.
Besides tracking transmission, scientists are also carrying out whole-genome sequencing of virus samples at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre in Gandhinagar to determine whether the virus has undergone genetic changes. Preliminary analysis has identified minor genetic variations, but officials said further studies are needed before drawing any conclusions.
“With the deployment of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team and parallel investigations by multiple national institutions, the Centre has significantly expanded scientific and field support to Gujarat and Rajasthan, reflecting a coordinated ‘One Health’ approach that integrates human, animal and vector surveillance to better understand and contain the Chandipura virus outbreak,” said the ministry.
