Chandipura virus outbreak in India has killed at least 22 children

India's Ministry of Health dispatched a national response team to Gujarat and Rajasthan on Wednesday to support the states in containing a Chandipura virus outbreak, reported The Hindu.

The outbreak has led to the deaths of at least 22 children this monsoon season. Primarily spread by sandflies, the Chandipura virus can cause brain inflammation and mostly affects children.

The national working group will collaborate with state health departments, assess on-site activities, and submit recommendations to the Indian Ministry of Health after completing field work. "The collaboration brings together specialists in epidemiology, virology, entomology, veterinary sciences, and laboratory diagnostics to understand the full clinical spectrum of Chandipura virus infection — from mild febrile illness to acute encephalitis syndrome — and gather evidence to strengthen public health interventions," the ministry stated. According to the ministry, a central objective of the investigation is to understand the virus's transmission cycle.

Chandipura virus (CHPV, officially Chandipura vesiculovirus) is a rare but highly aggressive RNA virus belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family — the same family that includes the rabies virus. The virus was first discovered in 1965 in Chandipura village, Maharashtra.

The virus is primarily transmitted through bites from infected sandflies (Phlebotomus), but research suggests that ticks and some mosquito species may also transmit the infection. Human-to-human transmission has not been identified.

In India, animal surveillance has been expanded to determine if the virus circulates among domestic animals. Approximately 70 blood samples have been collected from cattle, buffaloes, and goats, along with milk samples. These are being analyzed for Chandipura virus and other relevant pathogens. According to authorities, conclusions cannot be drawn until laboratory tests are completed.

The virus is neurotropic, meaning it specifically attacks the nervous system and causes acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) brain inflammation. The disease begins abruptly with high fever, severe headache, vomiting, and muscle pain, but can rapidly progress within hours to seizures, altered consciousness, coma, and death. 

The disease predominantly affects children under 15 years of age, and its fatality rate during outbreaks has ranged between 33% and 75%.