At least nine confirmed cases of the Chandipura virus (CHPV) were confirmed in Gujarat by the state government, while the suspected cases across various districts rose to 71. It has also reported 27 deaths of suspected patients in the state, so far.
According to the medical bulletin of the state government, nine positive CHPV cases have been confirmed, including one each in Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Panchmahal, Morbi and Vadodara districts and two in Mehsana. Of these, the cases from Aravalli and Vadodara have succumbed to the infection, while the government has not clarified on the status of the rest five patients.
On Friday, Vadodara reported the district’s first confirmed case of CHPV in a deceased six-year-old boy from Savli who had passed away on July 1 at SSG Hospital within 10 hours of developing convulsions. The Manipura village resident was brought to the hospital in the early hours of July 1 with complaints of high-grade fever, convulsions and unconsciousness.
Vadodara Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) Minaxi Chauhan confirmed that the health teams had begun a drive in Manipura village.
According to data shared by SSG Hospital, as of Saturday, the hospital had seen 11 suspected CHPV cases so far, in addition to the six-year-old deceased boy, who tested positive.
Seven suspected cases continue to be admitted, of which, five are in the PICU. The hospital has also sent five samples for CHPV tests to the Gandhinagar laboratory.
In addition to the six-year-old, SSG Hospital has reported four other child deaths due to suspected CHPV from July 1. Those who succumbed to the infection include three — a six-year-old boy and two four-year-old girls who died on July 14 and July 17 respectively — from Panchmahal, and a three-year-old boy from Devgadh Bariya in Dahod who passed away on July 16.
SSG Medical Superintendent Dr Ranjan Aiyer said the hospital has sent the samples of all the deceased patients to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune as per norms. SSG has seen 12 admissions with suspected CHPV cases so far.
The characteristic of acute viral encephalitis and CHPV is that it progresses rapidly by affecting the neurological system, causing brain edema, that keeps on increasing to a point where the child needs a ventilator.
Meanwhile, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel visited the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) Hospital at Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha to meet suspected CHPV patients. Fourteen suspected cases have been recorded in the district, of which, two are from Rajasthan. Six deaths from suspected CHPV infection have been recorded in the district.
Patel, during his visit to Sabarkantha, directed the district authorities to continue the activities of malathion dusting as well as precautionary steps in the rural areas while also ensuring that any cases with CHPV symptoms should be given “immediate medical attention”, a state government release stated.
In a statement, Rushikesh Patel recommended that protective measures be implemented in rural areas by grassroots workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers, as well as nurses.
A review meeting undertaken by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel with district health officials discussed the precautions that are to be taken to curb the spread of the virus. The CM directed that the activity of dusting malathion powder in rural areas as well as the repair of crevices in Kuccha homes should be completed within seven days to prevent further spread of the virus. Emphasis was given on setting up intensive care units in districts, as the virus is not giving much time… The infected persons succumb within 72 hours.
Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has recorded the deaths of two children with suspected CHPV, including a one-year-old girl. Officials said that samples of these patients had been sent to NIV and the results were awaited.
Health officials said the one-year-old girl, a native of Rajasthan, had arrived in Ahmedabad in the first week of June and stayed at Sardarnagar. The family returned to Rajasthan and again came back to Ahmedabad in the first week of July. The child reported fever on July 10 and was taken to a private hospital, from where she was referred the same day to Asarwa Civil Hospital. On July 15, she was discharged and returned to Rajasthan. She died the following day.
A five-year-old girl from Arbudanagar in Chandlodiya, suspected to have contracted CHPV, died on Thursday. She was admitted to a private hospital on July 14 and referred to the civil hospital the same day.
The city also reported two children who are suspected to have contracted CHPV. A 5-year-old boy from Saijpur was admitted to the civil hospital on July 15 with fever and convulsions. But he is reported to be stable and remains admitted at the hospital. However, a 11-year-old girl from the area bordering Sardarnagar and Noblenagar, who was admitted to the civil hospital two days ago, is on ventilator support.
AMC Medical Officer of Health, Dr Bhavin Solanki said a survey was being conducted of 150 houses surrounding the residences of the patients. Also, fogging had been undertaken.
According to NIV experts, the CHPV is “transient” and hardly gives time for antibodies to develop in the body of the patient.
The expert from NIV said the institute had recommended to the Gujarat government to also collect a second sample of patients, who had recovered from the disease.
The CHPV virus stays in the body for about three to four days only and so, the result of the test is also affected by the time the sample is collected, whether there was enough virus present in the blood to be detected.
The expert further said molecular tests were primarily conducted to detect the presence of CHPV in the blood of a patient, as “sizeable amounts of antibodies” may not be present to pass through an antigen test.
The NIV expert added that though CHPV was predominantly spreading in central India since 2015, the cases had “gone down” over the years, only to have resurged since last week.
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