Based on these officially confirmed figures, 28 of the 42 laboratory-confirmed CHPV cases have died, putting the case-fatality ratio among confirmed cases at 66.7 per cent, or about two out of every three laboratory-confirmed cases have died in the current outbreak.

However, this figure applies only to confirmed cases reported by the authorities and may not capture infections or deaths that were not detected or tested, officials said.

“Out of the total 324 suspected cases, test results of 314 samples have been received while test results of 10 samples are awaited,” said the state government.

Chandipura cases in Kutch

Following the death of a child in Anjar, the Kutch district administration said in a statement Thursday that eight suspected cases had so far been reported in the district. “Out of these, laboratory reports of 7 cases have come back negative, while one patient has died during treatment. Currently, three patients are admitted to the hospital and are under medical treatment and supervision,” the administration said.

“As soon as the case of Chandipura virus was reported in Anjar area, the necessary work was started by the District Epidemic Control System on an immediate basis,” the statement said.

Intensive dusting and fogging were carried out within a 500-metre radius of the affected child’s residence. Insecticide was also sprayed to control sandflies, the suspected vector of CHPV.

“Under this operation, the teams of the Health Department have visited 883 houses so far, covering a total population of 3,480. House-to-house surveillance is being conducted in the affected area and surrounding areas; persons with suspicious symptoms are being examined, and necessary health guidance is being provided,” the statement added.

The Indian Express reported on August 14 that researchers from state and national laboratories who were part of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT), deployed to Gujarat and Rajasthan by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), had not yet identified either the animal reservoir from which CHPV originated or the arthropod vector responsible for transmission in humans in either the 2024 or 2026 outbreaks.

The Kutch administration said an entomological team specially called from Rajkot had surveyed the affected area to investigate the possible carriers of the Chandipura virus. The team collected samples of sandflies and other vectors, which have been sent to the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar for further testing.