Jaipur: A 6-year-old girl from Dungarpur and a 2-year-old girl from Sirohi died Thursday while undergoing treatment in Gujarat after testing positive for Chandipura virus.The 6-year-old, a resident of Ratanpura village in Dungarpur district, was being treated at the Civil Hospital in Himmatnagar, Gujarat. The second victim, a 2-year-old girl from Sirohi district, died during treatment at a hospital in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.The state health department has intensified surveillance in affected districts following the deaths. Health teams visited the villages where the victims hailed from to carry out screening and preventive measures.“We conducted a survey of 75 houses in Ratanpura village. We examined children’s health, but no suspected case of Chandipura virus was detected,” said Dr Alankar Gupta, chief medical health officer, Dungarpur. He added that the confirmatory test report for Chandipura virus was still awaited.Rajasthan has reported three suspected or confirmed Chandipura virus cases so far, including the two deaths. Health authorities have stepped up child screening in Sirohi, Udaipur and Dungarpur. Rapid response teams are checking children for high fever, vomiting, seizures and altered consciousness, symptoms commonly associated with acute encephalitis-like illness.Suspected patients are being referred for urgent medical care, while local health centres have been directed to report any new case. Officials are reviewing patient details and laboratory samples.Dr Gupta said animal husbandry department has been roped in for prevention activities, including fogging. Chandipura virus is transmitted through infected sandflies and can cause severe illness in children.
