22 children dead in Gujarat's Chandipura virus outbreak; 35 infections confirmed

children have died from Chandipura virus (CHPV) in Gujarat; 35 cases tested positive out of 184 suspected infections.

State health minister Praful Panseriya said all patients are under 15 years of age; 7 remain under treatment in civil hospitals in Gandhinagar, Rajkot, and other districts.

Health teams are spraying pesticides in animal husbandry areas to control sandflies, which spread the virus.

Government and private pediatric facilities have been instructed to immediately admit symptomatic patients to ICU beds to prevent organ failure.

Chandipura virus causes encephalitis and was first isolated in 1965 from Chandipura village in Nagpur district, Maharashtra.