A serious virus outbreak is being seen amid the threat of dengue, malaria and chikungunya in monsoon. The arrival of Chandipura virus in Gujarat has troubled the people. Recently, some children had died due to Chandipura virus in Gujarat. Let us know what is Chandipura virus, why it spreads, what are its causes and what are the measures to prevent it.
Chandipura virus is a serious and rare virus that was first identified in Maharashtra, India in 1965. It was identified in Chandipura village of Nagpur and hence it was named Chandipura. After this, it was reported in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat in the years 2004 to 2006 and 2019. This RNA virus belongs to the Rhabdoviridae family and Vesiculovirus genes. Let us tell you that this virus is spread by female phlebotomine fly, mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies.
This virus causes fever, flu like symptoms as well as acute encephalitis i.e. inflammation of the brain. Due to infection, symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, stiffness in the body are seen. In severe cases the infected person may go into a coma or even die. Let us tell you that this virus mainly affects children between 9 to 14 years of age.
According to experts, there is no treatment for it, hence treating it based on symptoms is the best way. It can be prevented only by spreading awareness about it.