Rajasthan toddler dies of Chandipura virus; Gujarat confirms 12 infections
A two-year-old girl from Rajasthan died while undergoing treatment for Chandipura virus infection at a hospital in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, a health official said on
A two-year-old girl from Rajasthan died while undergoing treatment for Chandipura virus infection at a hospital in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, a health official said on Tuesday. Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said 63 suspected cases of the virus have been reported in the state so far this year, of which 12 have tested positive and eight patients have died. According to Dr Sunil Joshi, medical superintendent of the Banas Medical College and Research Institute, the girl from Rajasthan's Sirohi district was brought to the hospital on July 13 in a critical condition. She tested positive for Chandipura virus the next day, was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and treated for six days before she died on July 19, he said. Read Full Story Talking to reporters on Monday, Pansheriya said, "So far, a total of 63 suspected cases of Chandipura virus have been reported in the state.
Out of these, 12 patients have tested positive. These include 9 cases from Gujarat and 3 cases from Rajasthan." He said eight patients have died so far. The Gujarat government on Monday confirmed that 12 patients had tested positive for Chandipura virus. "Out of the samples collected from the total 63 suspected cases, test results of 55 samples have been received, while results of the remaining eight samples are still awaited," an official release said. A review meeting chaired by Pansheriya was held on Monday to assess the geographical spread of cases in different districts, the reasons behind the spread of the virus, laboratory testing and the steps taken by the administration. According to the release, among the positive cases, two each were reported from Panchmahal and Kheda districts, while one case each was reported from Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Bharuch, Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation areas.
At the meeting, the minister said intensive surveillance must be maintained in any area where cases are reported. He instructed officials to carry out a detailed investigation into patients' travel history and case history to understand the source of transmission. The release said extensive health screening had been carried out in thousands of houses, including kutcha and pucca homes, in the affected areas. Dusting is also being carried out on a war footing in kutcha houses and around cattle sheds to control sandflies and insects considered carriers of the virus. Joshi said Chandipura virus infection can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of brain tissue, along with symptoms such as high fever, seizures, vomiting, diarrhoea, unconsciousness and, in severe cases, organ failure. The minister said the virus is generally more active during the monsoon and up to September. The release said adequate ICU beds for children, essential medicines and ventilators had been ensured at civil hospitals and super-speciality hospitals in all district headquarters.
The BriefWire