Current Context: Recently, Six children have died in Gujarat’s Aaravalli district due to the  Chandipura virus.

ABOUT CHANDIPUR VIRUS

• Chandipura virus is an RNA virus belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family, which also includes the rabies virus.
• The virus primarily affects children and has been associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis in India.
• Transmission : through the bite of infected sandflies (genus Phlebotomus).
• Symptoms : Fever, vomiting, loose motion and headache.
• Treatment : There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine.
• It was first identified in Maharashtra in 1965.