2 more children die of suspected Chandipura virus in Gujarat; death toll in state reaches 8

Ahmedabad: Two more children died of suspected Chandipura virus infection in Gujarat on Tuesday, taking the number of fatalities recorded in the state so far to eight, Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.

With this, the number of persons infected from the virus has gone up to 14, and eight of them have died, he told reporters in state capital Gandhinagar.

Cases have been reported from Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Kheda, Mehsana and Rajkot districts, the minister said.

Three cases from the neighbouring states – two from Rajasthan and one from Madhya Pradesh – have also been treated in Gujarat hospitals, Patel said. Of the two patients from Rajasthan, one has died, he said.

Patel said the state health department has undertaken intensive surveillance of the affected districts, and special advisory has been issued to community and primary health centres and sub-district hospitals as well as medical colleges to treat suspected cases with certain symptoms as Chandipura virus cases.

“Mortality rate in the disease is high and it is difficult for a patient to survive if there is a delay in getting treatment,” he said.

Screening of over 44,000 people has been conducted at 8,600 houses from across 26 residential zones as a precautionary measure, he said.

Two patients from Sabarkantha district, three from Aravalli, one from Mahisagar and Rajkot districts each, and one from Rajasthan are among those who have died so far while being treated in the hospitals, the minister added.

The first four suspected cases were reported in the civil hospital at Himatnagar in Sabarkantha district.

The blood samples of the patients have been sent to Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for confirmation and the results are awaited.

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. It is transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies.

The 2003-2004 outbreaks in central India witnessed case fatality rates ranging from 56-75 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat with typical encephalitic symptoms.