Chandipura Virus Infection

About Chandipura Virus Infection:

• It is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, which also includes other members such as the lyssavirus that causes rabies.
  • Several species of sandflies like Phlebotomine sandflies and Phlebotomus papatasi, and some mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti(which is also the vector for dengue) are considered vectors of CHPV.
• The virus resides in the salivary gland of these insects, and can be transmitted to humans or other vertebrates like domestic animals through bites.
• The infection caused by the virus can then reach the central nervous system which can lead to encephalitis — inflammation of the active tissues of the brain.
• Disease progression can be as rapid as a patient reporting high fever in the morning, and their kidneys or liver being affected by the evening.
• Symptoms
  • The CHPV infection presents initially with flu-like symptoms such as acute onset of fever, body ache and headache.
  • It may then progress to altered sensorium or seizures and encephalitis.
  • Respiratory distress, bleeding tendencies, or anaemia.
  • The infection often progresses rapidly after encephalitis, which may then lead to mortality within 24-48 hours of hospitalization.
• This infection has largely remained limited to children below 15 years.
• Treatment: The infection can only be symptomatically managed as currently there is no specific antiretroviral therapy or vaccine available for treatment.
• Affected regions in India
  • The CHPV infection was first isolated in 1965 while investigating a dengue/chikungunya outbreak in Maharashtra.
  • However, one of the most significant outbreaks of the disease in India was seen in 2003-04 in states such as Maharashtra, northern Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
  • The infection has largely remained endemic to the central part of India, where the population of CHPV infection-spreading sandflies and mosquitoes is higher.