Centre Deploys National Joint Outbreak Response Team as Multi-Institutional Probe Intensifies into Chandipura Virus Outbreak

Key Highlights:

• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• This deployment aims to strengthen the response to an ongoing Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) outbreak in these states.
• A multi-institutional probe involving premier research institutions is intensifying to understand the virus's transmission, clinical spectrum, and epidemiology.
• The NJORT comprises experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• The investigation adopts a "One Health" approach, integrating human, animal, and vector surveillance.

Detailed Insights:

• The NJORT will support state governments in outbreak investigation, epidemiological assessment, clinical management, and vector surveillance.
• Scientific investigations are being conducted by institutions like ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), ICMR-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), and ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI).
• Active surveillance for Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has been intensified in affected districts.
• Community-based serosurveys are underway to estimate asymptomatic infections and assess the true extent of virus transmission.
• Investigations are focusing on the virus transmission cycle, examining sandflies and other arthropods like mosquitoes, ticks, and mites as potential vectors.
• Animal surveillance, including testing blood and milk samples from cattle, buffaloes, and goats, is being conducted to identify potential reservoirs.
• Whole-genome sequencing of virus samples is being carried out at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) to detect genetic changes.
• The current investigations build upon lessons from the 2024 Chandipura virus outbreak in Gujarat, which was also documented in a research paper.
• India's Hospital-based Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) Surveillance Network supports these efforts by generating critical epidemiological and laboratory evidence.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Chandipura Virus (CHPV): A rhabdovirus known to cause febrile illness and encephalitis, primarily transmitted by sandflies.
• National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT): A multidisciplinary team deployed by the government to assist states during disease outbreaks.
• Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES): A severe neurological condition characterized by acute onset of fever and mental status change, often caused by viral infections.
• One Health approach: A collaborative, multi-sectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach to achieve optimal health outcomes by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.