Centre Deploys Team to Aid Two States in Chandipura Virus Outbreak

The team, comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), will assist in outbreak investigation, epidemiological assessment, clinical management, laboratory coordination, vector surveillance and public health measures. The Centre has also stepped up disease surveillance, scientific investigations and testing in affected districts. Chandipura virus is an emerging arbovirus transmitted primarily by sandflies and is associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), mainly among children under 15. Active surveillance has been intensified among patients with acute febrile illness (AFI) and AES, and community-based serosurveys are being conducted to identify asymptomatic infections. Scientists are examining whether other arthropods, including mosquitoes, ticks and mites, may play a role in transmission, as large numbers of vector samples from affected areas are being analysed.