Four children have died, and two others are undergoing treatment for a suspected Chandipura virus infection in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, an official stated on Saturday (July 13). The two children are being treated at a civil hospital in Himmatnagar in the district.
The Chandipura virus causes fever with flu-like symptoms and acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It belongs to the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae and is transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies.
The blood samples of all six children have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for confirmation, and the results are awaited, according to Sabarkantha Chief District Health Officer Raj Sutariya.
Paediatricians at the Himmatnagar civil hospital suspected the Chandipura virus after four children died there on July 10. Two other children admitted to the hospital have shown similar symptoms and are believed to be infected by the same virus.
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Of the four children who have died, one was from Sabarkantha district, two were from the nearby Aravalli district, and the fourth child was from Rajasthan. The two children currently being treated in the hospital are also from Rajasthan.
Authorities in Rajasthan have been notified about the child’s death due to the suspected viral infection, Sutariya said.
“We have sent all six samples, including those of the four children who have died, to NIV in Pune,” he added.
To curb the infection, district authorities have deployed teams to conduct preventive measures, including dusting to kill sandflies in affected areas, officials said.
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