Gujarat govt wants pre-monsoon action against sand flies

With experts expressing concern about the emerging Chandipura Acute Viral Encephalitis (CHPV) becoming more widespread in the years to come, the Gujarat government has advised health departments across districts and civic bodies to make preventive action against sand flies the primary transmitters of the virus a regular part of pre-monsoon health activities to curb its spread.

Health experts camping in Gujarat to study CHPV, which has so far affected 26 of 33 districts in Gujarat and led to the deaths of 27 children, have maintained that the virus will “continue to exist and spread”, as it is an “emerging virus”.

Experts from a central team that visited Gujarat to study the spread of CHPV, meanwhile, have found anti-CHPV antibodies in several samples of humans, cattles and rodents collected from the affected districts.

Health officials told sources that though the 164 cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) reported so far this year in Gujarat included 61 CHPV cases, the cases have not been reported in a cluster.

Data analysed by the government since 2009 – a presentation on which has been distributed among all district and civic health departments – shows that Gujarat had reported 22 CHPV cases as against 51 AES cases in 2009.

It also saw a 100 per cent CHPV mortality rate with all 22 patients dying.

Thereafter, a high number of CHPV cases was reported in 2014, at 11, and seven deaths. 2019 saw 10 CHPV cases and five deaths.

In 2024 so far, Gujarat has reported 164 AES cases, of which 61 cases have been confirmed as CHPV.

Among the 73 AES deaths so far, 27 patients had CHPV.

Until August 12, Panchmahal district had recorded the maximum number of CHPV cases  

seven as well as deaths at four. It was followed by Kutch with three deaths of CHPV patients.

Panchmahal also has the highest number of AES cases at 16, along with Sabarkantha.

Of the seven deaths recorded in Panchmahal, three are of AES patients.

CHPV is a viral infection transmitted by sand flies that can cause fever, headache, or encephalitis, leading to convulsions, coma, or death.

It causes AES in children and mitigating neurological complications within the first 24 hours is the key to avoid high fatality.

Health officials said that the state has witnessed CHPV outbreaks prior to 2009 as well.

In 2004, Vadodara district had recorded a CHPV outbreak with 70 per cent case fatality rate (CFR) – deaths among total cases – while Gujarat had overall recorded 78.3 per cent CFR but not as a cluster outbreak.