2 suspected cases of Chandipura virus in Rajasthan, health department on alert
In the past two weeks, four children suspected to have contracted the Chandipura virus have died in Dungarpur district
Jaipur: After the deaths of four children in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district due to suspected Chandipura virus, the state health department is on alert as two more cases have been reported, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.
In the past two weeks, four children suspected to have contracted the Chandipura virus have died in Dungarpur district.
Officials said that two more children – a four-year-old girl from Ramsor Bagdi village and a three-year-old boy from Baldiya – are suspected to have contracted the Chandipura virus and have been admitted to the government hospital in Dungarpur. They were admitted on July 10 following symptoms of the deadly virus, including vomiting and diarrhoea.
Dungarpur chief medical health officer Dr Alankar Gupta said a team of doctors and nurses have been sent to Ramsor and Baldiya villages. They will go house to house to examine children. “If any child has a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, they will be admitted to hospital,” Gupta said.
Speaking to media persons, Gupta said, “All the children who have died were between two and fourteen years old. One child was from Kalyanpur village in Udaipur district. Doctors have not been able to identify the cause of death of the children but they had symptoms of the Chandipura virus. No samples were taken so it is difficult to ascertain the cause of death.”
The head of the paediatrics ward in the Dungarpur Hospital, Dr Nilesh Gothi, said, “The two children were admitted to the hospital on July 10. They had symptoms of the Chandipura virus. We took samples and sent them to Udaipur. From Udaipur, the samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The lab report will confirm if the children have contracted the Chandipura virus.” He said their condition is said to be stable.
The Chandipura virus (CHPV), a rare but potentially deadly pathogen, has been named after Chandipura in Maharashtra, where the virus was first detected in 1966. It apparently affects children below 15 years.
It recently made headlines after the virus was suspected to have claimed the lives of 14 children in Gujarat in the past two weeks, while 29 people are suspected to have been infected. Most of these cases are under investigation and awaiting confirmation.
Symptoms of Chandipura virus include fever, headache, convulsions, and unconsciousness. It can progress to coma and death in severe cases. The pathogen is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae. Over 18,000 people have been screened for symptoms so far. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies.
