The Chandipura virus outbreak in Gujarat has claimed the lives of 28 children under the age of 14 since the first case was reported in July, health minister Rushikesh Patel informed the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
The minister was responding to a question by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Umesh Makwana.
According to Patel, the state has reported 164 cases of viral encephalitis with 101 children succumbing to the infection. Out of the 164 cases, 61 were specifically caused by the Chandipura virus, which is known to cause fever, flu-like symptoms, and acute inflammation of the brain. The virus is mainly transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes and sandflies.
The health minister assured the state legislative assembly on Wednesday that the situation is now under control, with no new cases reported in the past week and no deaths in the last 12 days.
Also Read | Explainer: What is Chandipura virus, how does it spread?
On July 17, the Gujarat government confirmed the state’s first death due to the Chandipura virus after a four-year-old child Mota Kanthariya in Aravalli succumbed to the virus at a government hospital in Sabarkantha earlier in the same month.
The health minister told the House that the sandfly, which carries the Chandipura virus, typically resides in the cracks and crevices of mud houses that are common in the rural areas of Gujarat. To combat the outbreak, the state government has launched an extensive drive for vector control and containment of the virus.
As part of this drive, health teams have surveyed over 53,000 houses in the affected areas, and have sprinkled Malathion powder, a pesticide, in more than 7 lakh mud houses in villages. Additionally, liquid pesticide has been sprayed in nearly 1.58 lakh houses. Recognising the vulnerability of children, the authorities have also carried out these measures in nearly 40,000 schools and over 36,000 Anganwadis in the affected districts.
First identified in 1965 in Chandipura, a village in Maharashtra, India, the CHPV virus belongs to the Rhabdoviridae family and is closely related to the vesicular stomatitis virus. It is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected sand flies, although other insects may also play a role in its spread. The virus has been sporadically reported in various parts of India, with previous outbreaks occurring in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
