Chandipura Virus (CHPV) 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently identified the Chandipura Virus (CHPV) outbreak in India. 

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Key Highlights

• Chandipura Virus is a member of the Rhabdoviridae family. 
• It is a negative-strand RNA virus.
• It causes sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in western, central and southern parts of India, especially during the monsoon season.
• It was first identified in 1965 in Chandipura, Maharashtra.
• Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, reported 245 cases of Chandipura Virus (CHPV) in India. 

 

Transmission: The virus is primarily transmitted through sandflies and some mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti (which is also the vector for dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika fever).

The virus resides in the salivary gland of these insects and can be transmitted to humans or other vertebrates (animals with a backbone and skeleton) like domestic animals through bites. 

Symptoms: Fever, vomiting, loose motion and headache are the main symptoms.

• The infection can reach the central nervous system which can lead to encephalitis -inflammation of the active tissues of the brain.
• It mainly affects children between the age group 9 months to 14 years. 

Treatments: There is no specific treatment or vaccine available as of now.