In a troubling development, six children in Gujarat have reportedly died from suspected Chandipura virus infection within the past five days, with the total number of suspected cases now reaching 12. This alarming situation was confirmed by Gujarat’s Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, on Monday. The outbreak began to raise concern last week when pediatricians at the civil hospital in Himatnagar, Sabarkantha district, identified Chandipura virus as the potential cause of death for four children.
Their blood samples were promptly sent to Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) for verification. Since then, four more children exhibiting similar symptoms have been admitted to the hospital. The number of suspected cases has gradually increased, with the hospital now treating three patients from Aravalli, one from Mahisagar, and one from Kheda.
Additionally, there are two patients from Rajasthan and one from Madhya Pradesh, according to the health minister. The Chandipura virus, recognised by the World Health Organization as a potential priority disease in 2017, is now back in the spotlight. Here’s what we know about the deadly pathogen.
What is the Chandipura virus? The Chandipura virus, named after the village in Maharashtra where it was first identified in 1965, belongs to the Rhabdoviridae family and the Vesiculovirus genus, which is closely linked to viruses that cause vesicular stomatitis and rabies. The name “Rhabdo,” meaning “rod-shaped” in Greek, refers to.