Chandipura Virus: Gujarat Reports 22 Child Deaths, 7 Under Treatment - Video

Gujarat has reported 35 confirmed cases and 22 deaths due to Chandipura virus (CHPV) among children during the current monsoon season, State Health Minister Praful Panseriya informed on Monday, 3rd August. Of the 184 suspected cases reported so far, 35 have tested positive, while 11 sample reports are still pending. All confirmed patients are below 15 years of age, with seven children currently undergoing treatment at civil hospitals in Gandhinagar, Rajkot and other districts. The Minister said cases have emerged from different parts of the state rather than being concentrated in a single village, and affected children are receiving specialised treatment under close medical supervision.

To contain the outbreak, the Gujarat government has intensified surveillance and vector-control measures, including pesticide spraying in animal husbandry areas to eliminate sandflies, the primary carriers of the virus. Government and private hospitals have also been directed to immediately admit symptomatic children to ICUs equipped with oxygen and ventilator support to prevent severe complications such as multiple organ failure. Chandipura virus causes viral encephalitis, leading to inflammation of the brain, and was first identified in Chandipura village in Maharashtra's Nagpur district in 1965, reports The Telegraph.