Chandipura Virus (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Chandipura Virus (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Why In News:Children from Rajasthan's Dungarpur and Sirohi districts died of Chandipura virus infection while undergoing treatment in Gujarat, prompting the Rajasthan Health Department to intensify surveillance, screening and vector control measures in the affected districts.
What is Chandipura Virus?Classification: A Rhabdovirus, belonging to the same viral family as the rabies virus, but causing a distinct clinical illness.
Discovery: First identified in 1965 in Chandipura village, Maharashtra, during investigation of a dengue and chikungunya outbreak.
Affected Group: Primarily affects children below 15 years of age.
Transmission: Spread mainly through the bite of sandflies, notably Phlebotomine species, with mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and ticks also identified as possible vectors; there is no evidence of person to person transmission.
Clinical Features and Public Health ResponsePresentation: Causes Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), inflammation of the brain, which can progress from mild fever to serious complications within hours.
Warning Signs: High fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and altered consciousness are red flags requiring immediate medical attention.
Case Fatality: The World Health Organization has noted a high case fatality ratio, historically in the range of 56 to 75 percent, though this varies across outbreaks.
No Specific Cure: There is no approved antiviral treatment or vaccine; care is purely supportive, focused on managing complications.
Current Response: Rapid Response Teams have been deployed for door to door surveys, school health screenings and vector control activities such as fogging and insecticide spraying.
Key Facts for PrelimsEndemic Zone: Western, central and southern India, with outbreaks concentrated during the monsoon season.
Largest Recorded Outbreak: In 2024, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 245 Acute Encephalitis Syndrome cases with 82 deaths, the largest Chandipura outbreak in two decades, as per WHO's Disease Outbreak News.
Nodal Surveillance Framework: Cases are tracked under India's Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which monitors outbreak prone diseases nationwide.
Distinction from Japanese Encephalitis: Both cause AES, but Japanese Encephalitis is spread by Culex mosquitoes and has a licensed vaccine, unlike Chandipura virus.