Gujarat health officials confirm 42 infections, high fatality rate

Gandhinagar – Health officials in Gujarat have confirmed 42 cases of the Chandipura virus, with 28 patients succumbing to the disease. The department’s surveillance since June 30 has logged 324 suspected infections, but laboratory confirmation for ten of those remains pending. With a mortality proportion of approximately 66.7%, the outbreak poses a serious public‑health challenge. The situation is worse than the figures released at the start of the month, when 41 cases and 27 deaths were recorded, and sharper than the July 21 data that showed 12 confirmed cases out of 63 suspects. Following the rise in numbers, the state intensified field surveillance, conducted door‑to‑door health checks, and deployed vector‑control teams to limit sand‑fly populations around homes and farms. Chandipura virus, an acute encephalitis agent, predominantly affects children below 15 years and spreads via sand‑fly bites in some central and western Indian locales.