According to the figures released by the Gujarat government last week, the number of positive Chandipura virus cases has gone up to 59, with the overall viral encephalitis cases reported at 159 currently, and a death toll of 71. Apart from that, there have also been widespread cases of cholera and mumps detected earlier this year, confirmed by the state government.

Findings of the study, published recently in the research paper Prioritization of Emerging and Epidemic-prone Diseases and Risk Factors in India’s Three Western States used the One Health Risk and Disease (OHRAD) Prioritisation Tool’ to understand the reasons behind the spread of these diseases.

Also, several meetings between public health experts and representatives from departments of animal husbandry, health, and forest/wildlife department were convened by the Centre for One Health Education, Research and Development at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar to understand the infections better to find a way to mitigate the risks.

Experts believe climate change is one of the major factors infections are rising across the state. The phenomenon, according to scientists has also caused an increase in the number of bugs-borne diseases in recent years. For instance, this mid-year, India reported unlimited cases of mosquito-borne infections, including Zika, dengue, and Nipah.

According to experts, the initial symptoms of the Chandipura virus are similar to those of the flu, but they can quickly progress to encephalitis, coma, and death within 24 to 48 hours.

Children, younger than 15 years of age are most susceptible to infection, even though it is unclear precisely how the virus gets into the brain and causes encephalitis. Doctors say when an infected insect bites an individual to get their blood meal, they discharge their saliva containing the infection.

The infection then spreads into a person’s blood and contaminates immune cells called monocytes - a kind of white blood cell, that it imitates, undetected by the immune system. The virus then travels to the central nervous system and breaks through the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain.

The virus is said to release a protein called phosphoprotein inside brain cells within six hours of the victim being affected by it, causing rapid death. There are currently no antiviral drugs to treat individuals contaminated with the Chandipura infection. Furthermore, there is no vaccine.

The Chandipura virus is named after the village in Maharashtra, India, where it was first identified in 1965. The first major outbreak didn't occur until 2003 in Andhra Pradesh, where 329 children tested positive for the virus and 183 died. In addition, an outbreak with 26 cases and a high death rate of 78 per cent was reported in Gujarat in 2005.

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