The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to Gujarat and Rajasthan to combat the rising cases of Chandipura virus disease, a mosquito and sandfly-borne illness that can progress to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.
The team, comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will work alongside state health authorities on outbreak investigation, epidemiological assessment, clinical management, laboratory coordination, and vector control.
They will submit recommendations after completing their field assessment. The National Centre for Disease Control has also activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to support the deployment.
Researchers from several Indian Council of Medical Research institutes, including the National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai, are working with Gujarat’s state health department to track the full range of the disease, from mild fever to severe encephalitis.
Investigators are ramping up surveillance among patients with acute febrile illness and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in affected districts. Community serosurveys are underway to gauge how many infections may be going undetected, and labs are working to improve diagnostic tests and animal models of the disease.
Sandflies are the known carriers of Chandipura virus, but scientists are also investigating whether mosquitoes, ticks, or mites could be spreading it in the current outbreak. Large numbers of vector samples from affected areas are being analyzed.
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Animal surveillance has also been expanded, with around 70 blood samples collected from cattle, buffaloes, and goats, along with milk samples to check whether livestock could be acting as a reservoir for the virus. Authorities say no conclusions can be drawn until testing is complete.
A whole-genome sequencing of virus samples from the current outbreak is being conducted at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre in Gandhinagar. Early results show minor genetic variations, but researchers say more detailed comparative studies are needed before they can say whether the circulating strain has evolved from those behind earlier outbreaks.
The team’s findings will inform the government’s response to the outbreak. As the situation continues to unfold, the team’s findings could lead to a re-evaluation of the current strategies for controlling the spread of the virus.
The health ministry’s decision to deploy the team is a significant step in addressing the rising cases of Chandipura virus disease. The team’s work will be closely watched as the situation develops.
Gujarat has reported 35 Chandipura Virus cases and 22 deaths. The state health minister, Praful Pansheriya, has been closely monitoring the situation.
The situation is being closely monitored.
