Two Children Die as Chandipura Virus Scare Returns to Gujarat’s Panchmahal

VADODARA : Fresh fears over the Chandipura virus have gripped Gujarat’s Panchmahal district after two young children died while undergoing treatment for suspected infection, prompting health authorities to launch an extensive surveillance and containment drive across affected villages.

The deceased children have been identified as three-year-old Viraj Rangitsinh Chauhan from Vinjol village and four-year-old Prince Jitendrabhai Baria from Sardarpura village in Godhra taluka. The district health department had identified four suspected Chandipura virus cases. While laboratory reports of two children returned negative and they continue to receive treatment at SSG Hospital in Vadodara, the other two succumbed during treatment.

Following the deaths, the health department has intensified preventive measures. District Health Officer Dr. Vipul Gamit said 682 health teams have been deployed across Panchmahal, with 10 special teams working exclusively in Vinjol and Sardarpura villages for door-to-door surveys, blood sample collection and medical monitoring.

“Health workers are conducting intensive surveillance and collecting samples from suspected patients. Dusting and insecticide spraying have also been carried out within a 100-metre radius of affected areas as per government guidelines,” Dr. Gamit said.

Authorities have appealed to parents to remain vigilant and seek immediate medical attention if children develop symptoms such as sudden high fever, diarrhoea, body cramps or rapid deterioration in health.

According to health experts, Chandipura virus primarily affects children aged between 0 and 15 years and is spread by infected sand flies, which become more active during the early monsoon. Dr. Gamit noted that the risk is higher in unplastered mud houses where sand flies breed easily. Due to the virus’s short incubation period, symptoms can appear rapidly and may progress to encephalitis, or swelling of the brain.

The latest cases have revived memories of the 2024 outbreak, when Panchmahal reported 16 Chandipura virus cases, the highest in Gujarat, resulting in the deaths of seven children. During that outbreak, teams from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, collected over 600 human blood samples, 271 animal samples and trapped more than 200 sand flies for investigation.